Chasing the shadow: (Fem Haku)
by Obvious Pseudonym O'Flaherty
Summary: What if Naruto was adopted by the Uchiha clan after the Kyuubi incident? In fact, what if everyone had been just a little more sensible? How different could their lives have been? This is an adventure story focusing on the lives and relationships of Team 7 as they train and grow together. Rated T but beware, swearing and some bloody scenes. Semi rationalist.
1. Chapter 1

**AN:** **This, for those of you who aren't aware, is a rewrite of my original fic: 'Chasing the Shadow'. There is only one difference between this and the original. In this version, Haku is a girl. If you want to read the version with a male Haku, it can be found quite easily. It's on this website. For quick access, just click on my profile to find a list of my stories.**

* * *

 **Prologue:**

Sarutobi Hiruzen stood quietly over the horrific tableau, solemnly forcing his grief down. There would be time later for such things. The newborn child lay quietly as he slept in his mother's arms, blissfully unaware that he was being held by a corpse. One of the first Jonin to have arrived on the scene, a silver haired ANBU with a mask in the style of a dog, stepped forward.

"What is to be done with the child, Lord Third?" Asked Kakashi.

'Lord Third.' The title stung Hiruzen, but that, he supposed, was what he was once again. The third Hokage. The old man sighed.

"I do not know. There is no family left to him now." He stood in silent thought for a moment, then glanced sidelong at the young man beside him. "You knew Minato and Kushina well. Do you have any advice for what is to be done with their son?"

The teen hesitated for a long moment before answering.

"I-I do not know that it is my place to say, Lord Hokage."

Hiruzen pondered this, eventually placing a hand on the young man's shoulder.

"Minato cared for you very deeply," he said. "And I know that Kushina would have expected you to offer your advice to help care for her son. Indeed, if you didn't, I suspect there would have been hell to pay."

Both men were silent for a long while, reflecting on bittersweet memories. Eventually, Kakashi spoke again.

"I… I know Kushina was quite close with Mikoto Uchiha. They had hoped their children would grow up to be friends... and the Uchiha are a powerful clan."

The Hokage nodded.

"Certainly a possibility. I shall ask among the Uchiha to see if anyone may be willing to look after young Naruto here. God knows, it's better than letting the poor boy grow up alone."

* * *

 **Some Years Later:**

The Uchiha compound was filled, as was quite common in the afternoons, with the screams of fighting children. Teyaki Uchiha sighed, exasperated, before poking his head out of the shop window.

"Hey! Sasuke, Naruto! What are you fighting over this time?"

The squabbling youths raised their heads to look across the street at the old man, their scuffle momentarily broken.

"We were racing and Naruto cheated!" Sasuke complained, pointing an accusing finger at the blond boy.

"Did not!" Naruto shouted angrily.

"Did too!"

As the fight began to devolve into a tussle once more, Teyaki restrained his frustration with a groan and stepped outside towards the two. Reaching out, the elderly Uchiha grabbed both boys by a shoulder.

"Young masters!" He said loudly, his voice stern. Both boys fell silent immediately. Teyaki directed his gaze at the dark-haired boy first. "Young master Uchiha, your father would be very disappointed to see you fighting a brother over something as small as a race." The boy's head lowered into something of a sulk as Teyaki turned to face the second offender. "And you, young master Namikaze. You should not be stooping to violence to solve your disagreements, regardless of whether you really did cheat or not. Why would you ever want to hurt someone you cared about?" The small blond boy turned his face away, ashamed, unwilling to meet the older man's eyes. "Now then, I want the two of you to shake hands and then I expect this to be over."

The two boys grudgingly turned to face one another, neither looking the other in the eye. Sasuke was first to extend a hand with a mumbled "Sorry."

The other boy eventually took it and shook.

"Me too." He said quietly.

"Good," said Teyaki appreciatively. "Now go and play. There's still a few hours before dinner, why not go for a swim?"

As the children ran off into the distance, chattering as though nothing had happened, Teyaki sighed before stepping back inside. Just another day in the Uchiha compound.

* * *

 **That night:**

Naruto awoke with a start when he heard Sasuke scream, bolting upright and running to the door. The sound had come from across the street. Naruto made a beeline for Sasuke's house, running the whole way. Rounding the corner wild-eyed, he came upon the scene of a slaughter. Naruto took in the sight of it, almost uncomprehending. The street was littered with bodies, every one of them someone he knew by name, the ground painted red with the blood of his family. Naruto sank to his knees, a wordless whimper barely escaping his throat as he tried and failed to process what he was seeing. A single figure stood in the road amongst the dead, his red eyes fixed on Naruto. Naruto recognized the black-haired man.

"Itachi…" he mumbled, trying to keep himself together somehow. "W-what happen-"

Naruto's words were cut short by a powerful strike to his stomach. He sank to the floor, gagging, his face pressed to the ground as he coughed and retched for breath. Itachi turned to leave. Unable to move, Naruto watched through a film of tears as Sasuke emerged from his home, his own face streaked with tears. Sasuke's eyes were the same blazing red as Itachi's. Naruto could barely hear as the two conversed, watching helplessly as Sasuke attacked and was dispatched with practiced ease by the older brother. Naruto felt something hot bubbling inside him, pushing the fear and pain aside, something strong and fierce and RED.

On shaking legs, he picked himself up. Itachi was still standing dangerously close to Sasuke's immobile form. He seemed to be speaking, but Naruto heard nothing at all. Nothing besides a small voice hissing inside his head telling him to strike, to kill.

"Get. Away. From. Sasuke!" He roared, breaking into a run. The boy crossed the distance to Itachi in seconds. He reached out a hand towards the man's face. His fingers, tipped now for some reason with sharp claws, extended as he reached towards Itachi's eyes. In that moment, Naruto wanted nothing more than to gouge and tear at the older man. Less than an inch to go.

* * *

 **Blackness:**

Naruto awoke in a hospital bed, trying desperately to believe that it had all been some sick sort of dream. Looking over to his side, he saw Sasuke in the bed next to his, eyes wide and staring. Fresh tears trailed down his brother's cheeks.

 **AN: Hey there! So I had this idea and it seemed kinda fun, so I thought why not have a go and see where it went. The basic premise is pretty self explanatory, Naruto was adopted by the Uchiha family instead of being an orphan and a lot of things will eventually change because of that. Feel free to comment if there was anything you liked or didn't like. I'll probably do a few of these as I hope to make it a fairly long running thing. So yeah, see how it goes.**


	2. Chapter 2: Broken

**AN: Hi guys, so I write this about six hours after the posting of my first chapter and frankly, the response I received was really rewarding. Thank you guys for that. I'm not sure how much of it came from the quality of the story and how much of it came from the fact that it is a Naruto fic, which is itself pretty popular. Regardless, you guys rock. Quick shout out to SunlitSky21 for their review, they made some really good points that I shall try to work on. On another note, I intend to write this using one or two elements from rationalist fic, ignoring somewhat the whole "Super genius main character," thing. Instead, I want to focus more on having a very clear chain of logical events and making sure that things like ninjutsu, where possible, operate from a consistent set of rules and parameters. Peace and love, Obvious Pseudonym out ;P**

 **Note: Once again, this chapter has now been re-written to remove some of the flaws in my earlier writing. I intend to completely update the entire story as time goes on. That said, for new readers, if you suddenly notice a reduction in the quality of this story's writing, you will have probably reached the point where I haven't managed to finish editing yet, so please just bear with it.**

* * *

 **The following day, Hiruzen:**

The third Hokage stood alone in his office, staring out the window overlooking the village. At times like these, he truly wished that he had been the one to die when the Kyuubi came. Minato would have been able to handle all of this so much better. The smallest of rustling sounds behind Hiruzen alerted him of the arrival of his pupil.

"Well, Jiraiya?" He asked. "How are they both?"

"Traumatized," came the response. "What else could you have expected? Was this truly the best solution you could think of, Sensei?"

The old man shook his head sadly.

"It was the only way I could think of to avert a war. Had I resorted to diplomacy as I planned, our chances of secrecy would have been lost. Had I used anyone besides Itachi, someone might have suspected foul play. What of the fox?"

The taller man moved to stand beside Hiruzen, his sandals tapping softly on the floor as he walked.

"It is as you feared," he murmured with a sigh. "Naruto awakened the Kyuubi last night and while the seal did hold, the danger is apparent considering his emotional state. If he finds himself wanting vengeance, the Kyuubi will not have to do much to convince him to let it out. It goes without saying that those boys need help, and fast, if they are to avoid the trauma of what they experienced getting the best of them."

"I may, perhaps, have a solution for that." Came a voice from the door. Both men turned to look at the new arrival.

"Hello Danzo." Said Hiruzen, working to keep his face neutral.

"Hokage," the man replied with a curt nod before continuing. "As you say, both of the boys are damaged in the extreme. Each of them is more than a little shocked and very, very hurt. Why not put them in my custody? The foundation could do great things with two recruits of such talent."

Jiraiya took a step forward, his face a picture of rage, but found Sarutobi's arm stopping him.

"I suggest you choose your words more carefully, Danzo," murmured the old man. "I happen to know for a fact that if you ever successfully took Naruto and Sasuke into the root, both Sasuke's brother and Naruto's godfather-" he placed a gentle hand on his student's shoulder. "-Would want you dead, and I can tell you in utmost honesty that I would not search too hard for the killer. This certainly is a battle you can win, Danzo. You have the political capital and I lack the power to refuse you forever. But you should consider that, for once, I am not your biggest obstacle here."

The room was deadly silent for a few long, intense minutes. Danzo Shimura considered his options carefully, looking balefully into the eye of the barely restrained Sannin.

"We are not enemies, you know." He said eventually.

"Touch my godson and you die," Jiraiya spat. "Get close to him in any way and you die, am I clear?"

Hiruzen did his best to smile apologetically. Despite the attempt, it came out as more of a winning grin.

"Please forgive my student. Jiraiya never really had a head for politics and so I am afraid he might react to your strategies in much the same way as a sledgehammer might react to a chess set."

After another long silence, the brown haired man turned to leave. Before he reached the door, Danzo gave a parting remark over his shoulder.

"Killing them was the right choice, Hiruzen."

Before Danzo could take another step, the third Hokage's fist connected with his face, knocking him staggering several paces before he regained his balance.

"If you ever force my hand like that again," the old man hissed. "Not only will I kill you, I will tear every last piece of your foundation away from this village and burn it. Am I understood?"

The two men looked long and hard into one another's eyes, before Danzo wordlessly turned and walked away.

"That went well," said the old man brightly, massaging his knuckles. "I always wanted an excuse to punch him."

"I swear I will end that man one day," Jiraiya grunted. "But the fact still remains that we have two traumatized children out there with the potential to turn into S class criminals if we aren't careful. What do you plan to do, Sensei?"

Hiruzen sighed once again, staring out at the rooftops all around him without really seeing them.

"For the moment? Damage control. The boys need to know that they aren't alone and I feel it would be best if someone their own age made the first move. I have made contact with a young man who might be able to assist in that regard. He's a bright enough lad to comprehend the delicacy of the situation."

Jiraiya grunted once again.

"Well, I suppose it's a start."

Both men watched the sun begin to set together in silence.

* * *

 **Two weeks later, Shikamaru:**

Shikamaru Nara was very bored. Not only did this assignment feel totally unnecessary, but looking after a pair of kids, both of them apparently stronger than him, seemed like so many different kinds of drag. He sat back on the swing set as his father pushed him, not normally present during playtime, but here today to offer tactical support.

"Bishop takes your knight." Shikamaru spoke quietly as he swung forwards and back, waiting for the 'targets' to arrive.

"And my lance takes your bishop." Intoned Shikaku without hesitation, displaying that infuriating little quirk of showing he had anticipated the move. A gentleman would at least have pretended to be surprised by his stratagem.

Shikamaru considered the board in his mind's eye, analyzing the placement of the pieces and looking for flaws in his strategy. It wasn't long before he saw it. He groaned.

"I lose in five?"

"You lose in five." Shikaku agreed with just the faintest hint of amusement.

"Well then," the boy said, stretching. "Time to get to work, I guess." In the periphery of their vision, the pair watched as two blank faced boys arrived, followed closely by a lone medical ninja. As Shikamaru watched, the two children, moving in silence, headed for a sturdy looking tree. The blond boy pulled out a set of practice shuriken from his pocket and placed it on the floor between myself and the other boy. Still silent and moving with an eerie synchronicity, the pair began taking turns throwing sets of blades at the tree bark and retrieving them, their aim near perfect.

Shikamaru exchanged a glance with his father.

 _This really is bad, huh?_ He signalled to the older man, relying on hand signals over audible speech. Shikaku gave a curt nod.

The boy groaned in annoyance, he had been hoping to get a day off today. He hopped off the swing and approached.

* * *

 **Broken:**

The two boys trained together in silence, driven by a single unspoken agreement. They needed to get stronger. With each throw, they took note of the errors in flight paths, made adjustments for wind variations. They were getting better, millimeter by millimeter. Their practice was interrupted in short order by a young kid around their own age, his unruly black hair tied back with a band.

"Hey," the boy called out as he approached, pulling out his own set of practice blades. "Mind if I join you?"

* * *

 **Shikamaru:**

After watching for a few minutes, Shikamaru had devised his angle of approach. He needed to get them to speak with him and he needed it to be more than just a one off thing. In order for that to happen, he needed to have something that the other boys wanted, and that, he decided, would be superior skill. The boy signaled his father again.

 _Make me more accurate?_ He asked, and was met with a curt nod. Shikamaru took a deep breath, and approached. "Hey, mind if I join you?" He called out, walking over casually.

The other two glanced at one another before the blond boy broke his strange silence, his voice rasping slightly as though he hadn't spoken in days.

"Sure, I guess."

Shikamaru did his best to ignore the strangeness of the other boy's voice, as well as the indifference it made no effort to conceal. Taking up a throwing stance between the other two, Shikamaru prepared himself. He felt a strange tugging sensation as his father's shadow took control of him, feeling it pulling at his throwing arm, spacing his feet ever so slightly further apart. He didn't resist. With his father guiding the throw, Shikamaru placed three shuriken one after another in a perfect line. He noted the other two looking at him, gauging him.

"You're pretty good." Said the dark haired boy in that same, barely used voice.

"Can you give us some pointers?" Asked the other boy, his words tinted with just the vaguest hint of curiosity.

 _Good._ Thought Shikamaru. If reports were accurate, that was the first sign of outward emotion either boy had shown since regaining their mobility. "Sure," he replied with a shrug. "Show me how you do it and I can tell you what you're doing wrong."

The dark haired boy went first, pulling Shikamaru's blades from the tree and handing them to him before taking up his stance and throwing. Shikamaru felt his hand moving in familiar signals. It was his father sending him a message.

 _F _ingers misaligned, pulling blades to the left.__

"You're holding them wrong, it's pulling you off target," Shikamaru said quietly, injecting just a hint of annoyance into his voice. "Try it like this." By his father's command, he felt his body moving forward, reaching out to correct the other boy's grip. Sasuke accepted the adjustment wordlessly, and tried again. This time, his shot went wide to the right, each blade a uniform inch off target. Sasuke glared at him. Shikamaru sighed. "And THAT," he said, not requiring his father's input this time. "Was because you tried to adjust for a problem that isn't there anymore. Try again." The boy scowled, but did so, this time striking home. He grunted appreciatively. Shikamaru turned to the blond boy. "Your turn."

The blond youth obediently took up his stance and threw. Before the shuriken even struck the tree, Shikamaru felt his hand signalling.

 _Tension in wrist. Foot position wrong. Facing wrong direction by four degrees._

"You need to loosen up a little, your arm's all stiff," Shikamaru waggled his hand demonstratively. "And you need to turn around a little bit." He felt himself step forward to reposition the other boy, holding him by the shoulders and turning him slightly. Naruto took a second shot, his aim improving fractionally.

"Nice one." Shikamaru said appreciatively. The three continued in the same fashion for an hour or so before Shikamaru decided it was time to test his approach. "Sorry," he said, apologetic. "I gotta go home. Wanna do this again sometime?" The blond boy nodded, the dark-haired one seeming a touch more subdued.

"Same time tomorrow?" Naruto asked. Shikamaru nodded, smiling.

"Sure, I might bring a friend or two along for some taijutsu practice," he said. This was good, he had proven himself to have value and could use it to build from there, he hoped. "See ya." Shikamaru waved as he ran off, grasping his father's hand.

"Good work." Shikaku murmured quietly as they walked.

"Yeah, whatever," Shikamaru grumbled. "Can we get sukiyaki for dinner?"


	3. Chapter 3: Recovery and purpose

**AN: So, quick heads up. The first few chapters have been rather dark. However, I do not intend for them to remain that way. The tone of the story will, hopefully, shift with the mental state of the protagonists.**

* * *

 **A few days later, Naruto and Sasuke:**

The time had passed rather quickly to Naruto. Since their first meeting, he and Sasuke had met up with Shikamaru on a near daily basis, practicing fighting techniques and maneuvers. Shikamaru, true to his word, had started bringing others along to train with. Usually, the partners were either a blonde girl who kept giving Sasuke the eye, or a chubby kid who's taijutsu style seemed to revolve near entirely around grapples and single, heavy hits. Occasionally, others would be there too, like Kiba, an energetic boy who never seemed to stop moving, or Shino, a quiet kid who always wore sunglasses.

After the first few sessions, Choji, the pudgy, strong one, had suggested they all go to lunch together. They had done so. It had been nice, sitting on a bench surrounded by loud kids stuffing themselves. Naruto had felt just a touch more human, and in that moment, he had cried. The others had thought it was weird, but Sasuke and, for some reason, Shikamaru, had both given them death glares fierce enough that no one had said anything.

Naruto and Sasuke were sparring together, fists moving rapidly as they moved around one another on the small training mat that lay in the corner of their shared apartment. The offer had been made at first of separate apartments for the two, but neither Naruto nor Sasuke had wanted to be left alone. The two had requested joint accommodation.

Sasuke circled around Naruto, his footwork light and his stance balanced. Naruto turned with the dark haired boy, determined to keep his focus on him, not wanting to miss a thing. Sasuke made to attack from the left and Naruto shifted his defense to face the threat, leaving himself open to Sasuke's sudden change of direction. Pivoting on the heel of his foot, the pale boy launched a kick at the blond, catching his undefended side and winding him. Sasuke pressed forward, launching two short jabs at Naruto's face, only one of which the blond boy managed to bring his arm up in time to defend. As he did so, Naruto realized belatedly that he had blinded himself in the attempt, his arm now covering his eyes. He was sent sprawling by a second kick to his ribs, the blow knocking the air out of him completely. As he lay gasping on the floor, Sasuke stood above him with the very faintest of grins on his face. He extended a hand and Naruto took it, his face flushed with embarrassment.

"Seriously, just how much practice did you do at that?" He asked.

"More than you, it looks like," Sasuke commented. "We really need to work on your taijutsu skills."

"Ugh, why though?" Naruto grimaced. "You already know I'm way better at Ninjutsu stuff than Taijutsu. Why should I have to focus on what I suck at?"

Sasuke poked him in the shoulder.

"Because, bird brain, the enemy knows you're bad at taijutsu too. If you don't get better, he can use that. We can't afford to have weaknesses anymore."

Naruto felt a pang of pain at the mention of Itachi. The scars still felt a bit too raw to think about for the moment. His face fell.

"Yeah," he muttered. "I know."

Sasuke hesitated, the pain clear on his face.

"S-sorry, I didn't mean-"

"It's fine," Naruto cut him off, forcing a smile. "Maybe I can ask Shikamaru for some pointers."

There was a knock on the door and Naruto headed over to answer it, dusting himself off as Sasuke started rolling up the training mat.

In the doorway stood a tall man with round shaded glasses and a navy blue shinobi uniform.

"Good afternoon, honorable son," he said, raising a hand politely. "May I come in?"

Naruto was somewhat taken aback by this, standing aside to allow the man entry more by reflex than anything else.

"Uhh, honorable what?" He asked.

The man strode inside purposefully, noticing Sasuke stowing the training mat.

"Ahh, Excellent. You have some rudimentary facilities set up already, wonderful."

Both boys looked at the strange man, their eyebrows raised. Sasuke spoke up first.

"Uhh, sir? Not to offend you or anything, but who are you and more to the point, why are you here?"

"Ah! Of course," the man said, unabashed. "Well, young master Uchiha, it has recently been brought to my attention by one Shikaku Nara that the two of you are looking to improve your skill levels in preparation for the academy. Given that young master Namikaze," he pointed at Naruto "Is who he is, it was considered appropriate to offer my services. My name is Ebisu, and should you wish it, I will be the honorable son's personal instructor in all applicable ninja skills until he attains the rank of Genin. Given your nobility and your situation, you may feel free to join us as well, young master Uchiha."

The two children stared at him for a long moment.

"Wait," Naruto muttered. "Since when do I get a personal instructor?"

Ebisu's glasses flashed as he turned to face the boy.

"Why, since it became apparent that you could use one, honorable son."

"Soo… You want to train us?" Sasuke cut in.

"Indeed, young master," Ebisu replied with a nod. "To do so would be a source of immense pride to me."

"And… you can teach us new stuff?" Naruto asked.

Ebisu chuckled.

"Well, I certainly wouldn't be much of an instructor if I couldn't help you expand your skillsets, would I?"

There was a brief pause as the two boys considered this.

"Okay, sure," Sasuke shrugged. "Naruto needs help with his taijutsu." Naruto nodded in agreement.

"I have no doubt that he does, young master Sasuke." Ebisu replied, grinning. "But so, I would wager, do you. Now, let us unpack that training mat there so I can see what you both can do."

Ebisu began by asking that Sasuke and Naruto spar against one another, watching intently as they did so. Once the match was over, another clear victory for Sasuke, he began shaking his head, glasses flashing.

"I can see there is plenty of work for me to do here," he said, his voice ringing with enthusiasm. Then he began listing every minute flaw he had noticed in both boys' techniques. That done, he them to sparring again, each with a specific aspect of their technique to focus on. Thus it continued for at least an hour before Ebisu announced an end for the day and proceeded to drag them off to a nearby field for target practice, standing both boys a good five metres further away from the target than they would normally stand. Neither boy complained, silently taking turn after turn throwing Kunai and shuriken at the targets, large wooden post-like structures painted with colored rings. Ebisu stood behind each boy in turn, making adjustments to stance and position as they threw, chiding them on every failure and praising their success.

Finally, just as the sun was beginning to set, Ebisu gave them a challenge.

"Now then, boys, normally this doesn't happen till much later, but let's make a deal. If either of you can get all three blades, kunai or shuriken, into the very center of the target on the next shot, I will teach you both how to do a simple ninjutsu. You wouldn't normally get to learn those until the academy."

Both boys gave Ebisu a strange look.

"Really?" Naruto asked. "We aren't supposed to know how to do those yet?"

"I thought it was just a normal thing you learned growing up." Sasuke said with a shrug.

Ebisu missed the inflections in their tones, and continued, his stride unbroken.

"Indeed not! Most young ninja learn their first ninjutsu at the age of eleven. They must do so under strict academic supervision, lest something go wrong. I, Ebisu, however, am willing to teach you!"

"…Okay," Naruto muttered, his head cocked to the side slightly. "Sasuke and I already know a couple though."

Ebisu laughed, expecting childish bravado or perhaps some half formed clones.

"Well then, go ahead and show me, boys! Unleash the might of your clans!"

Sasuke and Naruto looked at one another for a moment, then shrugged.

"Sure, why not?" Sasuke agreed. He went first, making the hand seals for horse, serpent and ram before Ebisu noticed the configuration.

"Hey, wait a se-" He started, but Sasuke had already completed the signs. The boy breathed a deep breath, filling his lungs with air and infusing it with his chakra, before exhaling explosively.

Explosively in a literal sense. The fireball was a clear metre from side to side and it positively rocketed towards the distant target, striking it with the satisfying sound of crunching wood. When it eventually faded, all that remained were two small, charred stumps where the target had once stood.

 _Huh_ , thought Ebisu absently through the shock. _That's a chuunin level technique, at least._ He turned to Naruto, feeling slightly faint. "And you, honorable son?" He asked.

"Well, I can't do that," Naruto admitted. "Our dad said I didn't have the right kind of chakra, but I can do this." He began moving his hands. Tiger, ox, dog, rabbit-

 _Oh god no._ Thought Ebisu

Snake. Naruto finished. The boy inhaled as Sasuke had, and released the stored chakra at the second target.

"Wind Style: Great breakthrough." He said with a grin, just as the collected mass of air struck the target, blasting the wooden panels straight off of the posts.

After this display, Ebisu had to sit down for a while. Naruto and Sasuke, pumped with the joy of surprising a pro ninja, set about sparring again, punching and kicking gleefully as they half fought, half raced around the perimeter of the training ground.

The distressed teacher put his head to rest in his hands and muttered to quietly himself.

"Who in their right mind teaches a seven year old to breathe fire?"


	4. Chapter 4: Team 7

**AN: Nuthin to see here, on with the fic.**

* * *

Time passed on in the leaf village, and the days stretched onwards into years. Naruto and Sasuke trained with Ebisu as often and for as long as they could. Gradually, their mistakes became fewer and further between. Naruto came to revel in his attachments with Shikamaru, Choji and the other children. Sasuke, though less enamored of it all, still accompanied him whenever he met with them. Gradually, the damage began to fade.

* * *

 **The day of the Genin exam, Sakura:**

Sakura sat in the classroom for what she hoped to be the final time. The exams were finally over. The theory tests had been easy, the physical aspects, slightly harder; although, who was supposed to find summoning a single clone challenging? This, however, had her worried. Sakura wanted to be on a team with Sasuke, no matter what. At this moment in time, it felt as though her whole world hung in the balance. She put her head in her hands and prayed.

"Team ten," called the instructor. "Shikamaru Nara, Choji Akimichi, Ino Yamanaka." Sakura nodded. That configuration went without saying, the Ino-shika-cho families always went in the same group for the sake of their teamwork.

"Team eight: Shino Aburame, Hinata Hyuga, Kiba Inuzuka." This brought Sakura's head up in confusion. Why have all three of the class's sensory types in the same group? Was the intent to form some kind of scouting squad?

"Team seven: Naruto Namikaze, Sakura Haruno," Sakura crossed her fingers and closed her eyes, hoping against hope. "Sasuke Uchiha." Sakura leapt to her feet, her hands raised in celebration of her victory as she all but cheered. Next to her, Sasuke chuckled lightly and offered his hand.

"I look forward to working with you, Sakura." He said quietly. Sakura took the proffered hand and shook, blushing a bright red that Sasuke luckily seemed not to notice. In the corner of her eye, she noticed Ino glaring at her, and turned a sly smirk her way.

Glancing over at Naruto, her other new teammate, Sakura gave a covert thumbs up. He seemed a nice boy, all things considered, perhaps a little dorky, but his scores were about equal with Sasuke's, so she guessed she'd just scored the teammate jackpot. The blond boy gave her a wide grin and she chuckled.

 _Okay, maybe more than just a little dorky._ She thought cheerfully.

"You are each to meet your new instructors at the locations presented." Called the sensei, pointing to the blackboard. Sakura glanced at it.

 _Team 7, Hatake Kakashi, central terrace, 6:30 AM tomorrow._ She read. _Easy enough._ Sakura left the room for the last time with the rest of the new Genin, chatting quietly with Sasuke as Naruto ran ahead with Kiba.

Casting her eyes around the rest of the graduating class, Sakura caught sight of Hinata Hyuga, a quiet girl who usually sat in the back, gazing at Naruto from behind, the smallest of smiles on her face. Sasuke, it seemed, noticed too. He leaned over to whisper Sakura's ear.

"She's been giving him looks like that all year," he whispered. "Can you believe the goofball still hasn't noticed?"

Sakura laughed awkwardly.

"Yeah, imagine not noticing when a girl makes it really obvious they like you." She said, blushing slightly. Sasuke grinned, the irony completely lost on him.

All that aside, Sakura couldn't really dispute Hinata's choice. He may not have been her type, but Naruto was studious, strong, and at least a little cute. Sakura just shrugged and kept on walking.

* * *

 **6:20 AM, The following day:**

"Wonder what our new Sensei is gonna be like?" Naruto mused aloud. "Probably really tough."

Sakura nodded enthusiastically.

"Maybe a fearsome ninjutsu user, or a deadly kunoichi like Lady Tsunade!"

* * *

 **6:40 AM:**

"We did get the right place didn't we?" Sasuke asked.

* * *

 **7:10 AM:**

"What on earth could be keeping him?" Naruto asked of the empty air, frustrated.

* * *

 **8:00 AM:**

"Okay seriously, what the hell?!" Sasuke exploded. "Where is the inconsiderate pri-"

"Good morning team," said Kakashi Hatake quietly. "Sorry I'm late, I had to take a puppy to the hospital. It broke its leg, you see."

Sasuke visibly deflated, his anger seeping out until, with a low grumble, he sat himself down on one of the nearby benches.

The three Genin eyed their new teacher balefully. Silver hair, eyepatch, mask, kinda tall but neither massively built, nor decked out with specialized weapons. He didn't look like much.

"Well then team," said Kakashi in that same quiet voice. "I suggest we begin with introductions, doesn't that sound like fun?" The three nodded, Sasuke somewhat grudgingly. "Excellent," Kakashi continued. "My name is Kakashi Hatake. I like reading, learning, and running with my dogs. I dislike slowpokes and idiots. My goal in life is to keep all of my remaining friends alive. Who wants to go next?"

The three Genin glanced between themselves. Kakashi had managed to make that last part dark. Hesitantly, Sakura raised her hand.

"Me?"

Kakashi nodded quietly and the two boys gave her their full attention.

"Well, uhh... My name is Sakura Haruno. W-what I like is… I mean, the person I like…" She tailed off, flashing Sasuke a glance before going bright red. Kakashi sighed and Naruto did a comically exaggerated face-palming gesture. Sasuke quietly waited for her to finish.

"Yes, thank you Sakura," Kakashi muttered. "That was very informative." What even was it with twelve year old girls anyway? "Sasuke, why don't you go next?"

Sasuke looked away from the pink haired girl and shrugged.

"Sure, although that one," he pointed at Naruto. "Already knows me pretty damn well. Where to start? Hi, I'm Sasuke Uchiha. I like barbecue, sparring and pretty girls." He shot Sakura a wink, redoubling her blush. "I dislike squid, festivals, and cold showers. My goal in life," his tone dropped a fraction, becoming very serious in a matter of moments. "Is to end the life of a particular man. Although, I wouldn't really call it a goal, as a goal implies a lack of certainty. The fact is that I will be certain to make it happen, whatever it takes."

Sakura stared at the dark haired boy, her smile and blush fading away as if never there. From anyone else, she wouldn't have believed it, would have taken it for a joke. The way Sasuke said it though, it made her shudder. As she watched, Naruto placed a hand on the other boy's shoulder. The two boys gazed at one another for a moment, before each of them broke into a grin.

"Yeah," Kakashi said evenly. "That's about what I was expecting. How about our last party member? What have you got for us?"

Naruto's grin stayed on his face as he removed his hand from Sasuke's arm.

"Well," he said calmly. "My name is Naruto Namikaze. I like Manga and games and my guilty pleasure food is ramen."

Sakura nodded politely.

"Yeah, ramen's tasty."

"It is quite good." Agreed Kakashi.

Naruto beamed.

"Have you guys tried that place called Ichiraku? They do the BEST pork bowls and on the side they do this thing with eggs and-"

Sasuke prodded him hard in the side.

"Introduction now, food later," he said in playful irritation.

Naruto grinned at him, unabashed.

"Sorry, now my dislikes. I don't like hot places, people who drink too much, and being called 'Honorable son.'" Sasuke snorted and Naruto looked at him balefully. "Trust me, it gets old. As for my goal?" Naruto shrugged, embarrassed. "I'm gonna help Sasuke kill a man. After that, I dunno, maybe open a restaurant somewhere? I like to cook."

While Sasuke had made the proclamation with a sense of seriousness, Naruto said it very matter of factly, Sakura wasn't sure which was worse. The girl couldn't help but ask.

"Who is it?"

The other three looked at her in confusion.

"Isn't it kinda obvious?" Sasuke asked, to which Sakura shook her head mutely.

"Huh, guess she never heard." Naruto murmured in mild surprise.

"Guess not," Sasuke agreed. "Well Sakura, Maybe look up the Uchiha massacre sometime. If possible though, I'd rather not discuss it here. There's too much… personal stuff involved, I guess."

"Good call," agreed Kakashi. "Now then, let's get on with our team assignment." The two boys nodded and Sakura, still nervous and full of unanswered questions, eventually gave her own assent as well. "Great," he continued. "First up, we have a training exercise at the third training ground at six AM sharp tomorrow morning. Be sure to bring full mission equipment and, little tip from me, you might want to skip breakfast." The three nodded again. "Before that though, I have another mission for you. You get the rest of the day off. Spend it getting to know each other. Consider it a teamwork exercise, okay?" With that, the silver haired Jonin vanished just as suddenly as he'd arrived, leaving not a trace of him in sight.

* * *

 **AN: Hey guys, thanks for reading! Once again, feel free to review. Kisses! :P**


	5. Chapter 5: Learning

**AN: A quick response to one or two comments. Firstly, the reasoning for Naruto not wanting to be Hokage. In the cannon, he developed that dream out of a compulsive need to be acknowledged by those around him, in large part as a result of his being a forced pariah. In this story, Naruto was never so isolated. He grew up with people around him showing care and support. Because of this, he never grew the compulsion to prove himself like cannon! Naruto did. Thus, no Hokage dream, at least not yet. As for Sasuke being somewhat flirty, that is an idea I took from the infinite tsukuyomi movie, where we were shown a Sasuke who grew up with people around him and he was shown as a massive ladies man. So yeah, I made this Sasuke somewhat flirty because he was less closed off from people. As a point, it's also his way of covering for a degree of social awkwardness (trust me, the guy is still utterly clueless about girls.) As before, I respect and appreciate your reviews and comments, and if someone posts one that I have no reason to refute, I will assuredly take it into account. But for the moment, I am sticking with the idea of logical progression. This applies to Ebisu training the pair of them as well. It is what would likely happen in that circumstance, given that descendants of the Hokage are apparently entitled to a private instructor. With all that said, on with the fic!**

* * *

 **Day 1: Sakura.**

All in all, the day was fun. The three Genin had spent the morning wandering the village markets together. As they traveled, they had talked, mostly about the days they had spent together at the academy, instructors they liked or disliked, friends they had made and people they hated there. After a time, Sasuke had suggested the three of them go a few rounds somewhere in order to get a feel for one another's abilities and tactics. The other two had agreed. Sasuke had led the way to a small dojo kept by a man with dark glasses who Naruto and Sasuke referred to as Ebisu Sensei. Under this man's instructions, Sakura had sparred against first Naruto, and then Sasuke. Neither match had gone well for her. Sakura felt her self confidence dropping rapidly. How was she supposed to contribute in a team with the two strongest ninja in the year? The supposed Sensei, on the other hand, had seemed relatively impressed.

"Not bad at all, considering your lack of one to one training," he said appreciatively after watching Sasuke put Sakura on the mat for the third time. "If I may say so, you have an impressive amount of talent for one of such ordinary origins. Why, if you work at it, you might even be able to catch up to your teammates before too long."

Sakura didn't know how to respond to that, torn between anger at his comment on her birth and being flattered by his regard of her talent.

"Just one thing though," Ebisu continued, walking over to a small box in the corner of the room and rummaging inside. "You need to do something about that hair, it's far too long and any ninja worth a damn knows how to take advantage of that."

Sakura recoiled, making to cover her bubblegum pink locks with her hands. She loved her hair. It was, she felt, one of her most attractive features. Naruto, unwisely, laughed a little at this, and received a look of enough venom to kill a man at a hundred paces. He shrank slightly under the ferocity of Sakura's gaze, at which point it was Sasuke's turn to laugh.

"Can you stop terrorizing Naruto please, Sakura?" He snickered. "I won't be able to get any sleep with him crying in the other room all night."

Something about that comment seemed strange to Sakura, and she thought it over for a moment.

"Wait, what do you mean by 'other room'?" She asked.

Again, the two boys were looking at her strangely. It was Ebisu who broke the silence first.

"They live together, Sakura," he said conversationally as he found what he was looking for and stood up once again, a small triangle of cloth in his hand. "Now then, I know a lot of girls your age have problems with getting rid of their hair for missions, so I'm going to teach you how to tie a bandanna to hold it all in place, alright?"

Sakura mulled this new information over in her head as the tall man set about fixing the cloth to her head, tying it in with her headband. It did explain why the two boys seemed so close all the time, and how a dorky kid like Naruto was able to keep up with a genius like Sasuke.

"Huh." She said aloud, more to fill the silence than anything else.

"Honestly, I thought everyone already knew at this point," Naruto said with a shrug. "But I guess you never really hung out with Shikamaru and the guys, did you?"

Sakura shook her head, causing Ebisu to mutter in frustration as she shook the bandanna loose.

 _Just what am I missing here?_ She asked herself, more than a little confused. _These two live together, but they clearly aren't related and every time I ask a question about it, people start looking at me like I'm an idiot. What's the deal?_

Sakura eventually resolved not to ask any more questions, just in case she asked another thing that made her look stupid. Instead, she resolved to head to the library as soon as she could.

The rest of the afternoon was instructive. After her new teammates were finished taking it in turns to humiliate her combat skills, they began sparring between themselves, asking her to watch so as to gauge their abilities and fighting styles. The more Sakura watched, the more aware she became of just how much more skilled her teammates were than she was. The way they moved had none of the indecisiveness that most of her fellow academy students held, and with each punch the boys threw, Sakura became more aware that they had been holding back on her. After being defeated in each of the six sparring sessions Ebisu had instructed them to hold, Sakura had been left with a few sore muscles and or two bruises where she had hit the mat. Watching the fight between Naruto and Sasuke, she could already see they were drawing blood. Naruto was bleeding from his lip, and Sasuke had a black eye. Not only that, but the fight had been going for a good five minutes now and showed no sign of slowing down.

Ebisu sat down comfortably beside her as they watched the brutal spectacle unfold.

"A-are they always like this?" Sakura asked.

"Yes, for the most part," Ebisu responded casually. "They don't much like to hold back, those two,"

"But… all those injuries," Sakura murmured as she watched the dark haired boy plunge a fist into the blond's side with an audible crunch. "If they're like this every time, how come they always looked fine during class, instead of looking like they just got through a war?"

"Good question," Ebisu said, smiling at her. "You're an observant girl. Both Naruto and Sasuke have very high levels of chakra for kids their age, a factor that imparts a modicum of accelerated healing to those who have it. As I understand it, the two of them have been beating each other up like this before bed each night with a near religious fervor, only to wake up good as new the following morning." As he spoke, the blond boy landed a kick to his opponent's gut, sending him down to his knees, wheezing. Before he could capitalize on his advantage, though, Sasuke ducked and rolled to the side, hopping back to his feet with a grin. "As you can see," Ebisu said with only a slight wince of sympathy. "Their pain tolerance has become quite remarkable."

"But," Sakura whispered breathlessly. "That's insane. Not just insane, it's stupid."

Ebisu looked down at Sakura with an appraising expression. The two sparring boys stopped in their tracks and gazed across at her as though she had said something silly again.

"Why?" Naruto asked. "I mean, I get that it's kind of extreme, but why is it stupid?"

Sakura flushed pink at the feeling of once again being put on the spot, but took a deep breath and spoke her piece.

"Fighting each other so roughly like that every day is a really bad idea," she insisted. "Watching the way you two fight, taking every hit so that you can deal more damage, it's a really terrible way to approach fighting ninja, especially when both the hidden mist AND the hidden sand are on record as having used poison in the past. Letting yourselves get hit over and over has got to have a serious impact on your instinctive response to dodge, and if someone comes at you with a poisoned weapon, it doesn't matter how strong your pain tolerance is. One hit will take you down."

Sakura finished her explanation, looking down at the floor, her blush almost matching her hair in intensity. Now she waited for the inevitable moment when someone in the room pointed out, probably with that condescendingly patient tone people used to talk to children, where she had gone wrong. What was she even doing, telling geniuses how to fight? She bowed her head and waited.

"Well, shit," said Sasuke, after what felt like an eternity. "She's right, isn't she?"

Sakura made a small squeaking noise, taken utterly off guard.

"Oh god, how did we not notice that?" Naruto groaned, bringing a hand to his face.

Ebisu merely grinned.

"Just thank god that you two have a smart teammate backing you up." He gave her another of those appraising looks. "You know, you have a pretty good head on your shoulders. Maybe you should try and fill the role of team tactician until you're strong enough to fight alongside these two properly."

Sakura blushed brighter still.

"M-me? Tactician? B-but that's-"

"Very important," Sasuke finished for her with a grin. "We could use someone like that." He glanced over at Naruto for a moment. "And I suppose we need to look into training ourselves to dodge better, huh?"

Their impromptu training session concluded, Ebisu had offered to take the four of them out for lunch as a celebration of them all becoming Genin. As they sat in a small barbecue joint, they had talked, discussing tactics and strategies. Ebisu interjected occasionally with the experienced problems that many teams faced in the field. Every time Sakura had an idea, the other three had fallen silent and listened to her intently, taking what she said and picking it apart, sometimes accepting her suggestions as good ideas, sometimes making slight adjustments and improvements before taking them on board. Sakura found herself smiling more and more as the day went on. Here she was, on a team with the best in the class. More than that, though, she was holding her own.

The three Genin bid Ebisu sensei goodnight and as Sakura walked with her two teammates in a companionable silence, she remembered she had just one last question that needed answering. She bid the other two good night and made her way to the library before pulling up every record she could find that made mention of the Uchiha massacre. Then, Sakura sat down and read a very, very unhappy story.


	6. Chapter 6: Team 7 vs Kakashi

**This sentence is for formatting purposes! ON WITH THE FIC!**

* * *

 **The following morning, Team 7:**

 **6:00AM:**

"He better be on time today." Sasuke grumbled, yawning. The trip over and the early arrival time had meant getting up before five. He stretched, shooting a sour glance at Naruto, chipper as ever. Why did he have to be so infuriatingly good at mornings? Sakura at least, had the decency to look tired... and more than a little distant this morning. Maybe she just didn't sleep well?

* * *

 **6:20AM:**

Sakura felt awkward, far more so than she had yesterday. Yesterday, she had just been an underdog, but now? If Sakura had read the reports right, those two had been living like siblings when the Uchiha clan was destroyed. If Sakura had her impressions from the previous day right, then the person they wanted to kill was… was Sasuke's own brother. How was she supposed to feel about any of this? Adding to that, as it turned out, Naruto's last name, Namikaze, was the family name of the fourth Hokage, famously the fastest and deadliest shinobi of his time. Sakura was at a loss.

"Hey." A quiet voice said beside her, causing the pink haired girl to jump as if shocked. Naruto chuckled slightly and sat down beside her. "Wow, you really are out of it this morning. What's up?"

Sakura hesitated. None of it was any kind of secret, but it all seemed kind of… personal.

"So uhh…" She started. "I know what honorable son means now."

"Please don't start calling me it," Naruto groaned. "It already took ages to get him," he pointed at Sasuke. "To stop after Ebisu Sensei started up."

That raised another question in Sakura's head.

"So, what's the deal with Ebisu anyway?" She asked. "Who is he, someone from the academy?"

Naruto shook his head.

"He was Sasuke and my personal instructor since we were seven," he shrugged at the surprised look she gave him. "Perks of being a Hokage's kid. But he stopped being our teacher when we became Genin. Apparently, he's training the current Hokage's grandson instead now. Sasuke and I asked him to take a look at our new teammate and he agreed."

Sakura blushed slightly in embarrassment.

"Did he like what he saw?" She asked.

Naruto put a hand on the taller girl's shoulder and smiled.

"We all did, Sakura. You already made me and Sasuke better just by watching us fight for a while. We're gonna be awesome together."

Sakura was only slightly reassured, she still hadn't addressed the biggest problem.

"And I also found out about… Itachi." She mumbled.

This got Sasuke's attention and he looked up from where he lay on the ground.

"And?" He asked calmly. "How do you feel about that?"

"K-kinda weird," Sakura admitted, talking mostly to her feet. "Never met someone with a grudge before."

"Yeah, I can get that," Naruto answered, grinning. "But you don't have to worry, Sakura. That's all a long way off yet, and it doesn't even have to involve you if you don't want it to. For now, we just gotta focus on becoming the best team we can."

Sakura smiled slightly.

"Thanks, Naruto."

The boy grinned, his pale semi-sibling laying his head back down on the grass and closing his eyes once more.

* * *

 **7:00AM:**

"Is Kakashi sensei going to do this every time?" Naruto asked. Sakura and Sasuke merely shrugged.

* * *

 **7:10AM, Kakashi:**

Kakashi made his way from the war memorial towards the training ground, talking to Rin had always helped him to center himself. It was a short journey for someone with his speed, and he was there within a few minutes. His new squad were already there. Good, at least they had punctuality. As he emerged from the treeline, he spoke.

"Good morning, you three. Sorry I'm late. I got sidetracked helping an old man-"

"Save it," Sasuke cut him off. "Training time."

Kakashi winced internally. No respect for the master here then.

"Very well," he said. "Today's test is simple." He pointed to the two bells hanging by his waist. "You have until midday to retrieve a bell from me. Anyone who fails to obtain a bell will be sent back to the academy immediately. As you can see, there are only two bells."

The three children eyed him shrewdly.

"Any limitations?" Sakura asked.

Kakashi shrugged.

"You can use any skill or ninja tool at your disposal. A quick piece of advice though, if you aren't ready to kill me with every attempt, you don't stand a chance of getting those bells."

"Why did you tell us not to eat breakfast?" Naruto asked, suspicion creeping into the edges of his voice.

"Motivation," Kakashi said promptly. "We eat lunch at ten, anyone who I have captured by that time will not be fed, and will be weaker when we resume. In the interests of fairness, I skipped my breakfast too."

"Anything goes?" Sasuke clarified.

"Anything goes." Kakashi agreed.

"What if we kill you?" Naruto asked, and Kakashi had to fight back a laugh.

"Well Naruto, if, somehow, you three managed to overpower your Jonin instructor on your very first training exercise, I imagine you wouldn't need a formality like the Chunin exam to get a promotion."

There was silence for a moment. A slight energy filled the air, a tension of battle to come.

 _This might be fun._ Kakashi thought to himself.

Each of the children was utterly still. Surprising, Kakashi had expected one of them to try an assault. Not idiots then.

"Ah, one other thing," he said. "I will be starting our little match over there, against that tree by the river. I'll be reading my book for a minute or so to give you all time to hide yourselves. If you started in the open, this would end far too fast."

"Umm…" Sakura said quietly. "If it's about letting us choose how we go about this, can you cover your ears too? A real ambush would give us time to plan together, after all."

Kakashi thought about this for a second.

"Seems fair." He said, walking over to the tree and sitting down. He opened his copy of Master Jiraiya's newest novel, balancing it on his lap, and covered his ears. "You get one minute," he called. "And when I say start, it's no holds barred."

* * *

 **Sakura:**

The others were looking at her expectantly. What was supposed to happen now?

"Well?" Naruto asked. "Have we got a plan?"

Sakura tried to think.

"How well do you two work as a two man team?" She asked.

Both of the boys grinned.

* * *

 **Kakashi:**

Sixty seconds passed. Under his mask, Kakashi smiled, unblocking his hears.

"Start." He called quietly. Then he stood, leaning against the tree. He turned the page, and kept reading.

A rustling sound from the bushes to the right alerted him.

 _So it is an assault, eh?_ Thought Kakashi, carefully avoiding making any outward signs of having heard anything. The two boys came at him in a rush, their movements timed perfectly with one another, each making hand signs. Kakashi's eyes widened a fraction. He recognized those seals. No time to lose, he had to dodge, now.

"Fire style: Fireball Jutsu!"

"Wind style: Great Breakthrough!"

The fireball was at least two metres wide, and that was before the wind jutsu hit it, whereupon it swelled to three metres, changing from a warm red to a bright, hot orange. Kakashi launched himself to the side as fast as he could, landing on all fours a short distance away as the great fireball consumed the tree he had stood against, leaving a blasted crater where it had once stood and cutting a deep channel through the ground all the way to the river. River water began to flow into the trench. The book lay forgotten on the ground. Maybe Kakashi had underestimated his new students slightly. Speaking of which, where had the third gotten to?

As if on cue, Naruto called out: "Mark one!" And four kunai flew at Kakashi from four different directions, each concealed within the bushes. Kakashi drew one of his own blades and moved to block each of them with ease. Three vanished on contact, but the fourth was solid. Clone Jutsus, Kakashi knew. As for the fourth, he calculated the trajectory of the one solid Kunai, determining Sakura's likely hiding spot. Before dealing with the two boys, best to deal with their ranged support. He turned and made to race for the girl's concealed location.

"Fire style: Phoenix flower jutsu!"

"Wind style: Dervish jutsu!"

Both recognizable attacks, Kakashi knew. One that sent a swarm of small hurricanes, and one that sent several small fireballs. So they were going for area of effect attacks? A good idea for dealing with someone who could dodge any single strike. Not enough, though. Kakashi turned and began making his hand-signs. Nothing too big, he wouldn't need much.

"Earth style: Mud wall jutsu."

A small barrier, just large enough to cover Kakashi from the assault, rose from the ground, quaking under multiple impacts. He resumed his course, aiming for the girl. Moving faster than was perhaps fair, Kakashi launched himself into the undergrowth, kunai drawn. He found the pink haired girl crouched between two bushes and placed his weapon at her throat. Her response was not as imagined. She grinned and called out.

"Mark two!"

* * *

 **Sakura:**

The boys had done perfectly, timing their attack after hers, distracting Kakashi Sensei just long enough for her to reposition and leave a clone behind in her place. She had momentarily contemplated genjutsu, but had thrown it out as an idea almost immediately. Someone like Sensei would be able to see through it with ease, and anyway, none of them knew how to cast them. Besides, the great thing about clones was that even after someone figured out what they were, they couldn't be dispelled at a distance, making them a great cover for traps.

"Mark two!" She heard the clone shout, a few metres away, before being poofed by Kakashi sensei's blade. Sakura smiled as she raised her hands, channeling her chakra to activate her trump card.

* * *

 **Kakashi:**

Of course, a clone. Now that he'd had a moment, Kakashi could even see the tracks Sakura had left when she moved. He stood with a sigh as the smoke began to clear. Glancing back for a second was the only thing that saved his life.

As the smoke had risen, it had revealed the four explosive tags that had been hidden underneath it. Kakashi moved without restraint, going to full speed as he pushed himself back towards the clearing. At his back, he felt a wave of heat and force as the tags detonated. Kakashi landed in a heap on the grassy floor of the training ground, rolling a few times before coming to a stop.

"D-did we kill him?" Said Naruto's voice a few metres away.

"Oh god, we killed him," Groaned Sasuke, nearby. Kakashi lay prone, feigning death, but under his mask, he allowed himself an evil smile. This was far too much fun, and his revenge for that last trick would be ever so sweet. He heard footsteps approaching cautiously, and prepared himself like a wire, pulling taut. "Wait," said Sasuke's voice. "If he's dead, we can't be in any more trouble, but if he's alive, then it's a trap. We should blast him first."

Well, there went that plan. Kakashi struck like a snake, moving to his feet so fast that the untrained eye would see nothing but a green and silver blur. Naruto was closer, having taken a few steps toward him. Sasuke was halfway through his first hand-sign. He had two seconds, at most. Kakashi crossed the short distance separating him from Naruto and, lacking the time to be gentle, aimed a short, sharp jab at the boy's sternum, just enough to knock him down for a while. Somehow, the boy not only saw the strike coming, but moved his body back, reducing the impact just enough to remain on his feet before flowing into an upward sweeping kick. Kakashi seized the boy by his foot, picking him up off the ground and aiming a punch at the boy's unprotected stomach. The boy wheezed as the air was forced out of him, but it barely even seemed to slow him as he stabbed upwards with a shuriken for Kakashi's hand, forcing him to drop the boy's foot. Naruto landed on the floor in a heap as Sasuke shouted:

"Fire style: Fireball Jutsu!"

The roaring fireball, aimed just above where Naruto lay, shot towards Kakashi. He threw himself to the side once more as Naruto, slightly singed and very winded, picked himself up.

Kakashi had to end this. He had sorely underestimated all three of these children, and if they kept forcing him to rely on his instincts, he might very well end up killing them by accident. Moving faster than one would have thought possible, Kakashi went through the hand-signs.

"Earth style: Imprisonment jutsu."

Around both Naruto and Sasuke, the ground began to shift, grass roots cracking and snapping as they tore apart. Each boy tried in vain to move, but felt his feet cemented to the floor, which began to rise up to meet them, a flow of rock encasing them up to their necks.

Kakashi was panting, he would never admit that to a single living soul, but he was panting. Catching those two had required a degree of actual physical effort. Thank god for the mask that concealed his mouth and muffled the slights gasps as he breathed. He turned to face the forest.

"Now then, Sakura, you get a choice. As the one who came closest to beating me, you can choose what happens next. Either you get a bell, and go home for the rest of the day while these two that I have trapped compete for the last one, or you reveal yourself to me right now, and I will let one of them go so that you can try to rescue the third."

Nobody spoke. The proposition was ridiculous. Everyone knew it was ridiculous, concealment was the only advantage Sakura had, and without it, neither she nor whichever boy she chose would last even a whole minute against Kakashi.

After a few moments, with a rustle of leaves, Sakura emerged. Kakashi wasted no time, moving fast enough that he was fairly sure that to the children, he would have seemed to simply vanish and reappear next to the girl. She jumped in surprise and gave a small squeaking noise as he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Well done, Sakura," he said in as gentle a voice as he could manage. "You three pass, and with flying colors, I might add."

* * *

 **AN: Yes, I may have made Sakura a badass. Any complaints?**


	7. Chapter 7: Shipping

**AN: Nothing to see here, on with the fic.**

As the weeks drew onward, team seven began to operate in earnest. Under the watchful eye of Kakashi sensei, three of the most talented young shinobi the village hidden in the leaves had to offer walked dogs, chased cats, and picked up roadside litter on a daily basis. The tedium would have been maddening were it not for their continual training. Every morning, they would meet up with their constantly late teacher at the much abused third training ground, and practice their tactics, their ninjutsu and their taijutsu. After the first few days, Kakashi had begun taking Sakura aside while the boys sparred, and had begun instructing her in the fundamentals of Genjutsu.

On the third day of their training, Sakura had asked her teammates to help her improve her taijutsu skills, to which they agreed. She had begun accompanying them home after the tasks of the day were complete, the three of them taking it in turns to watch the other two fight. Sakura focused on her strength and fluidity, Sasuke and Naruto each focused on improving their ability to dodge. Slowly but surely, the team was growing stronger.

Sasuke and Naruto were relaxing, Sakura having made her goodbyes and heading home some time previously. Naruto was preparing lunches for the following day, Ebisu having drilled the both of them on the importance of good nutrition. Sasuke lay on the couch reading manga.

"So what are you gonna do about Sakura?" Asked Naruto, matter-of-factly.

"What do you mean?" Replied the Uchiha, mildly curious. Naruto gazed over at him balefully.

"I mean she's had a crush on you since the academy, what are you gonna do about it?"

The dark haired boy cocked an eyebrow at him. "No she doesn't," he said, dismissively. "We're just friends." The blonde gazed at him, trying to determine if Sasuke was being unhelpful or just plain dense.

"No," he said slowly. "She likes you, and I'm pretty sure you like her too."

Sasuke blushed and made a strange, spluttering exclamation. "W-what?! I do not! She's a girl! They're gross!"

Naruto grinned. It was rare that either boy was able to catch the other off guard and they both took full advantage of it when it happened. "You soo like her! I saw how you acted back when we all met Kakashi," he teased, before mimicking Sasuke's voice. "Hi, I'm Sasuke and I like pretty girls." Naruto gave an exaggerated wink to some unseen girl, and Sasuke went an even deeper shade of red.

"W-well how about you and Hinata!?" He shouted back angrily, the effect was not as he had intended. Instead of going red, blustering, or trying to hide something, Naruto simply raised a hand to scratch the side of his head, an expression of slight surprise on his face.

"Huh?" he asked. "What about me and Hinata?"

Sasuke gave an exasperated groan and rolled off the couch, slamming his book down on the ground, before standing. "What are you, dense!? She's been into you since we were seven, idiot."

The blonde boy, clearly taken aback, asked the only question he could think to ask. "But… why would she do that?"

Sasuke sighed. "I dunno Naruto, I guess some girls just like idiots."

Naruto sat down with a huff, his arms crossed and a troubled look on his face. "You sure?" He asked.

The young Uchiha lost his patience completely at that. "Pretty damn sure Naruto, she spent our whole time in the academy staring at you all starry eyed whenever you weren't looking. How could you not notice?"

This riled the blonde boy. "Maybe cuz she only did it when I wasn't looking!" He shot back. "At least I have an excuse for not noticing, Sakura goes red every time you even look at her!"

Sasuke went silent for a few moments, lost for words as he thought back over his experiences with Sakura. _Oh shit,_ he thought to himself. Out loud he said, "I uhh… I gotta go think for a while." Without another word Sasuke walked slowly to the door, heading out into the evening air.

Naruto sat on the floor in silence for some time, confusion and annoyance battling inside his head. Eventually, he went back to preparing the food. As the blonde boy lay in bed that night, one thought kept swirling around his brain, making him feel more guilty with every single pass. _Hinata, huh?_

Naruto wasn't sure what time it was when he heard Sasuke get home, only that it was very late. Neither boy slept well that night.

 **The following morning, Kakashi:**

From the moment he had arrived, Kakashi had been able to tell something was up. Naruto and Sasuke weren't speaking to one another, not in itself particularly strange, at least not to Kakashi's mind. People fought sometimes when they lived together, it was normal. What was strange was that Sasuke was also completely ignoring Sakura, much to the girl's upset. Kakashi sighed. Yup, this was the perfect time for an extended escort mission.

"Okay everyone," He started. "Today we have our first C rank mission." The change in the air was dramatic, each of the children's bodies tensed as they took in the implications of this fact. In the leaf village, C rank missions meant potential combat. This was their first real mission.

 **AN: Okay, so does anyone else find it weird that even after everyone kept pointing out that Sakura was naturally inclined towards genjutsu specialization, no one ever taught her even basic genjutsu? I mean, honestly, I kinda think she sucked in the original anime (before shippuden at least) but thinking about it, I don't think anyone ever actually gave her a chance. She was pretty much the only one in the konoha 12 that basically no one ever bothered to teach any combat techniques. Now, as I have said before, I am trying to write this from a rationalist angle, basically meaning that Kakashi, seeing as he's not an idiot, would get right on that.**

 **Also, one big thing: Instead of just inviting you to review or comment, (which, by the way, feel free) I want to invite some audience participation from you all. As genjutsu was rarely used in the anime, there is a very limited library of techniques for Sakura to be able to learn. So I invite you all to send me in ideas (via Private Messaging, don't put them in reviews or I won't use them) for genjutsu she could develop, bearing in mind that I don't want them to be particularly powerful, she is just a newbie after all. Kay, thanks, bye.**


	8. Chapter 8: Tazuna

**Escorting Tazuna, Sakura:**

Sakura was hurting. Ever since they met up that morning, Sasuke had been refusing to talk to her, and every time she had tried to approach him, he had turned away. Had he seemed angry or annoyed, it would have been hurtful enough, but no, every time she saw the black haired boy's face, he had only looked confused and scared. When Sakura had asked Naruto about it, his words had almost entirely failed to reassure.

"Sorry Sakura, he… found out some stuff yesterday and… and I guess he needs some time," the boy had said with an apologetic smile. "If it helps, he isn't talking to me either."

It was at least helpful to know that Sasuke wasn't angry with her for anything, at least, she hoped he wasn't.

All in all, it had come as a huge relief when Kakashi sensei had emerged from the treeline, somewhat earlier than usual, before informing them of their new mission.

The three had followed him in a strange sort of silence, half charged and expectant, half awkward and sad. Eventually, they came to the front gate of the village, where they met with an old, raggedy looking man who Kakashi named "Tazuna, The bridge builder."

The old man took a long, steady look over his young escorts. "This is what I get for my money?" He asked. "Two little boys and a shrimp of a girl? I'm pretty sure I could take on bandits more easily than these kids."

Naruto and Sakura had bristled at that, Sasuke still seemed somewhat lost in thought. Kakashi held up a hand in a calming gesture. "It's what you get for a C rank mission, Tazuna, one veteran, and three rookies. Besides, they may not look like it, but any one of these kids could kill you quite easily. Believe me when I say that you're in safe hands, as long as you stop insulting them."

Tazuna gave that some thought. "Well," he huffed. "Fine, I suppose. I'll just have to hope we don't run into trouble on the way."

With that, the five of them had set off, Kakashi sensei walking in front, Sakura taking up the rear, and the two boys on either side of the old man in the middle. They walked together in near silence for hours along the rocky path, the summer sun beating down on them uncomfortably. It was far too dry, and Sakura reasoned she would need to restock on water somewhere along the way.

By around midday, the little convoy had made it well outside of the leaf village, onto the truly open travel roads that joined the many and varied villages in the land of fire. Kakashi wandered off into the tree line muttering about taking a leak. Sakura was tired, and her gaze wandered across the samey features of the path, searching desperately for something interesting. Nothing, just identical looking brown rocks, identical looking trees, identical looking dirt path broken up by small rocks and puddles. Something jarred in Sakura's mind at that thought, some small detail that felt out of place. She let her eyes take in the scene once again, focused now, her boredom gone. Rocks, trees, path, puddle, what was wrong here? Then she realized, it was a dry dirt path, under direct sunlight, in summer and after nearly a week without rainfall, why was there a puddle?

Sakura withdrew a notepad and pencil from her satchel, carefully writing down a short message in the smallest handwriting she could manage, in case there was someone watching from the trees before calling out, in as innocent a voice as she could manage "Hey guys, check out this drawing I did!"

Sasuke ignored her, still acting as distant and awkward as he had all day. Naruto on the other hand, hung back, curious. He took the notepad from Sakura and reading the message quickly, his expression one of quickly concealed surprise. The note was as follows. _Possible ambush nearby, don't react._

Barely missing a beat, Naruto grinned. "Yeah, Sakura, that's really good. Hey, Sasuke, Tazuna, come look at this drawing of **big brother."** That was enough to alert Sasuke, for obvious reasons, 'big brother' was Naruto and Sasuke's shared code phrase for danger.

The dark haired boy hung back and, with a sigh, Tazuna followed suit. Sasuke read the message while the old man grumbled "You know, you kids are meant to be protecting me, not drawing."

Sakura feigned a cutesy expression, rubbing the back of her head with a smile. "Sorry Tazuna, it's a hobby of mine."

The old man sighed and moved in, reading the message. He hid his sudden stiffness only slightly worse than the other two, only going still for a second or two. "Say, that's pretty good," he said in a kind voice. "You got the eyebrows wrong though, can I use your pencil?" Sakura handed him the pencil and he scrawled _'Where?'_ on the little notepad.

Sakura forced a slight giggle. "No way, Tazuna, those are way too big!" she took the pencil back, and wrote ' _puddle, ahead of us, no rain all week.'_

Sasuke grabbed the pencil off of her with a muttered. "Gimme that, you have the shape all wrong." Before writing ' _Tazuna, pretend to pee. Sakura, Naruto, formation three?'_ The others nodded, Sakura putting her notepad back in her pocket.

Tazuna wondered off to the side of the path, pulling his pants down slightly and making a few frustrated noises. Naruto and Sasuke casually drifted in front of Sakura, coming shoulder to shoulder between her and the puddle. As quick as she could, Sakura made the hand signs and summoned her clone, her breath bated. If there was a moment this plan came undone, this would be it. If there was anyone around other than the possible attacker in the puddle, they would be able to see her jutsu clear as day. Without checking to see if the clone jutsu had been seen, Sakura began to run for the treeline as silently as she could, keeping the other two between her and the puddle at all times. She made it, and watched from behind a bush as her clone moved forwards and spoke to Naruto, the two of them now blocking Sasuke from view. Sasuke moved quicker than Sakura had, his clone moving forwards and him sprinting for the treeline in mere seconds. Now it was Naruto's turn, managed even quicker than the other boy's. No real surprise there, Naruto was slightly better when it came to ninjutsu.

Once the blonde boy had met up with the other two once again, the three clones began to walk forwards, the false Sasuke calling back to Tazuna. "You're taking too long, old man. We're going on ahead."

In the treeline, team seven moved up into the trees, thankful for the thick, leafy branches of fire nation plants that made them such good hiding spots. The three Genin moved into a vantage point above the little puddle. _If I'm wrong,_ Sakura realized. _This will be the most embarrassing thing I have ever done._

Chatting among themselves, the three clones walked casually past the innocuous looking pool of water, getting a good three or four meters before, in total silence, two men rose from the water as if pulled up by some unseen force. The attackers spread quickly to either side, extending a wickedly bladed chain between their outstretched arms. Still eerily silent, the two masked shinobi ran to the clones from behind, catching them with that deadly looking chain. The two men had clearly expected to feel some resistance, some sort of pull as their chain met flesh, and were thus caught off guard when their chain passed through the three children with nothing but a faint puff of smoke. They skidded to a halt, momentum carrying them further forward than expected. Before they had a chance to recover, the two boys dropped from the trees, right on top of the leftmost assailant. Naruto and Sasuke each delivering a sharp blow to the back of his head with the blunt end of their kunai, the man fell with an unceremonious thud. As the two boys turned to face their second foe, Sakura landed atop the first man's unconscious form, holding a blade to his throat.

The man who remained standing let out a short laugh. "Wow, my bro got taken out by a bunch of kids. He's never gonna hear the end of this, after I kill you, that is." He moved a hand to the chain device on his wrist, and with a small clunk, it disconnected, leaving his hands free. The man assumed a strange, low to the ground fighting stance. "Come on then, little ones. Time to fight a real ninj-" He got no further, as Kakashi chose that moment to re-emerge, appearing as if from nowhere beside the man and delivering a short, sharp kick to the his jaw. From the sound it made, Sakura had to assume that Kakashi's sandals were steel plated. The masked figure dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes.

"Well done team," Kakashi said calmly. "I'm surprised you caught on that fast, very impressive." Moving calmly, with no apparent urgency anywhere in his body, Kakashi picked up his limp victim by the scruff of the neck and walked over to Sakura, politely motioning her to get off of her own captive. She moved quickly, and Kakashi began to expertly hogtie the two men, carefully searching them for weapons and sealing everything he found in a storage scroll, including the chain like device.

Naruto spoke up first, interrupting their sensei's silent work. "Hey, Kakashi sensei? Uhh… wasn't this supposed to be a C rank mission? I thought anything with enemy ninjas was automatically B or higher?"

"You thought right, Naruto," Said Kakashi, shooting a glance at Tazuna, just now approaching from the rear. "I think I need to have a word with our employer. First though, I should send these two," he gestured at the unconscious would be assassins. "Back to the leaf village."

Kakashi made a series of complex looking hand signs before pressing his hand to the floor, a strange, spiderwebbing of black script flowing outwards across the ground. "Summoning Jutsu," He murmured. With a great plume of smoke, several dogs in a variety of sizes seemed to simply pop into existence. The smallest, a brown pug who looked to be only a puppy, approached him.

"Kakashi," The dog greeted him in a deep male voice.

"Hello Pakkun," The silver haired man replied. "I have a prisoner delivery that needs transporting back to the leaf," he glanced at Tazuna again. "And please tell them a negotiator is required, I have doubts that our client was entirely honest. We will be waiting at the route fourteen teahouse."

The dog nodded, some of its larger comrades setting up a stretcher between themselves on some form of harness. "Of course, is that everything?" Kakashi nodded and reached into his pouch, producing a handful of small brown dog treats. He moved among the hounds, handing out one each. Their cargo loaded, the dogs set off towards the village at a run, they were very fast, Sakura noted. The rest of the journey passed in silence, Kakashi in the lead, the boys in the middle, Sakura at the rear.

They arrived at the teahouse shortly before dusk and ate a subdued dinner while they waited for the leaf negotiator. Naruto seemed torn between excitement over their victory, and awkwardness at the state of his teammates. Sasuke had resumed his upsetting refusal to look at her and Kakashi? Kakashi for all the world, simply seemed to be enjoying the silence. Eventually, the negotiator, a masked man in a leaf flak jacket, arrived, and the children were politely asked to turn in for the night.

 **Sakura and Sasuke:**

Sakura paced her room angrily, what was Sasuke's deal anyway? Why was he ignoring her, even after she caught that ambush? Boys were confusing and mean sometimes. As she paced more and more, the frustrated anger, hurt and confusion stirred around inside her, reaching a boiling point. She made a decision, stomping out of her room and across the small hallway to the room the boys shared. She pulled the door open angrily. The two boys, unsurprisingly, were sparring, they never seemed to stop.

Noticing her come in, Naruto smiled. "Hey Sakura!" he said warmly. Sasuke went slightly red, looking at his feet.

Sakura took a breath to calm herself. _I'm only angry at Sasuke,_ she reminded herself. "Naruto," she said in a voice of forced politeness. "Could you give me and Sasuke the room for a second? I think we need to talk." There was something in her tone that invited no disagreement and Naruto nodded quickly, feeling himself start to sweat for some reason.

Placing a hand on the other boy's shoulder, he murmured "Good luck." And walked quickly out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Sasuke just kept looking at his feet, going slightly redder.

Sakura hadn't been sure how she was going to handle this conversation, she had only known that she was hurt, and that she wanted an explanation. After a long, tense silence, she opted for a professional approach. Forcing her emotions down, she spoke, her voice cold. "You could have got us killed today."

Sasuke flinched, looking up at her reproachfully. The girl continued, wanting to finish before her emotions took control. "You ignored me when I tried to share mission critical information. That could have gotten every single one of us killed."

Sasuke stood silent for a moment, his face a moving display of several emotions. Eventually, he seemed to wilt slightly. "Sorry," He muttered, lowering himself to sit on the ground and hugging his knees to his chest.

Sakura felt a little bit of her anger fall away, a stab of sympathy for the boy warring against her own hurt. She broke, a single tear sliding down her cheek as, in a small voice, she asked "Why are you ignoring me?"

Sasuke looked up at her change in tone, seeing the girl before him trying desperately hard not to cry, and it pained him. "I… I didn't mean to hurt you," he mumbled awkwardly.

Despite all her efforts, Sakura felt another tear running down her cheek. She hugged her arms tightly around herself, leaning back against the wall. "Then why did you do it?" She asked, her voice slightly shaky.

Sasuke went red again, looking back to the floor for several seconds before mumbling something quietly into his knees.

Sakura let herself slide down the wall opposite him. "I can't hear you," she said in a small voice.

Sasuke blushed harder still, forcing himself to speak a fraction louder. "I found out you liked me," he said in a pathetically quiet voice.

Sakura felt the tears begin to flow more freely as the words hit her. "And that made you need to avoid me?" She asked, the hurt evident in her tone. "You couldn't have just said you weren't interested? Treated me like a person?"

Sasuke felt the words sting. "I-I wasn't sure I wanted to say no," he protested weakly, catching Sakura off guard.

"W-what?"

The boy sighed, feeling more awkward and self-conscious than he had in his entire life. "I was embarrassed because… because I like you too, Sakura, and I didn't know I was hurting you… Girls are confusing," he finished weakly.

Sakura felt numb, looking across at this boy as tears continued to stream down her face. "You… you like me back?" She asked.

Sasuke sat there, hiding behind his own legs hugged tight against his body, his face warmer than a dying star. He couldn't bring himself to speak, instead giving a single nod.

 **Naruto:**

Naruto waited in Sakura's room for hours, wondering what could be taking the other two so long to talk about. Was a mutual crush really this big of an issue? Eventually, he gave up waiting, heading back across the hallway. Quietly, he gave a soft knock on the door frame. No one answered. Naruto rolled his eyes, of course not, why would they answer? He pulled the door open ever so slightly.

Sasuke and Sakura had fallen asleep on the floor, still some distance from one another, each against a wall opposite one another. Naruto shook his head in irritation, his teammates were such drama queens sometimes.

 **AN: Okay, that was interesting to write. Feel free to review, comment, or whatever. Thanks for reading, BYE!**


	9. Chapter 9: The man named Zabuza

**The following day, Naruto:**

The group set out early the next morning, pushing forward to help make up for lost time. Naruto had not said a word to either of the others when they awoke, and neither had volunteered anything, but he could tell that things were at least better than they had been the day before. There was still an awkwardness between them, but neither one was avoiding the other anymore. Once or twice, he even saw them exchange shy smiles, Sasuke's face reddening slightly when they did so.

Even with their early start, it still took the rest of the day before they reached the land of waves. That evening, the five of them boarded a tiny boat to make the crossing. The trip was made in near silence, team seven watching the waters carefully in case of another attack, but none came. When they made camp that night, Naruto saw Sasuke and Sakura sitting together, quietly holding hands in the firelight. He decided to leave them to it, and went to bed so that he could be rested in time for his turn to take watch duty.

It was another early morning departure for the small convoy the following day; Kakashi seemed eager to reach their destination quickly. The five of them traveled in formation under the light of the morning sun. In front of Naruto, Kakashi started, turning on his heel to face the rest of the group. "Get down!" He shouted.

Without hesitation, the other four threw themselves to the ground as a sword easily the size of a man soared through the air above them, spinning end over end and embedding itself in the trunk of a nearby tree. With a strange sort of flicker, a man appeared, standing on the hilt of the massive blade. "Zabuza Momochi," Kakashi said quietly as the others picked themselves up, his voice filled with dread. "No matter what, protect Tazuna. Leave this guy to me."

The man in the tree chuckled. "Kakashi Hatake," he said, his voice filled with wry amusement. "Today might get to be interesting after all."

Kakashi raised a hand to his face, pushing his headband up off of his left eye. "Just stay behind me, everyone." He murmured.

The figure pulled his great sword free and leapt from his spot on the tree, landing on the surface of a small pond that crossed the clearing, he made a few brief hand-signs and spoke quietly.

"Water style: Hidden mist jutsu."

Immediately, the clearing began to fill with a dense fog, hiding their new foe from sight entirely. It began to spread rapidly, quickly moving towards the small formation.

"The man's an assassin," Kakashi called out in warning. "He's doubtless trained himself to hunt in this mist. He has the advantage as long as he knows where we are and we don't know where he is."

He had a point there, the fog was a problem. Naruto moved his hands to make the requisite signs, hoping to god that this would work.

"Wind style practice technique: Morning Breeze!"

The jutsu was one of the simplest in his repertoire, one he had been taught when he was just learning the very fundamentals of nature manipulation, and its effect had virtually no offensive potential, but Naruto hoped against hope that it would be enough. At his calling, a light wind began to blow through the clearing, pushing the fog away into the treeline before it had a chance to spread. Zabuza was once again exposed, halfway through some kind of summoning Jutsu, the water around him beginning to rise and shape itself into figures identical to their summoner.

"Good work Naruto!" Kakashi called out, wasting no time in dashing forward. "Never let the enemy fight on their terms." He lowered his arms to the floor as he ran, his right hand taking on a strange blue glow, as if he were somehow holding a bolt of lightning in his hand. The Zabuza clones moved to intercept, but Kakashi was faster, the glowing blue light cutting through each of them like butter as he aimed a punch right at the true Zabuza's gut, the other man just barely managing to block it with the breadth of his sword. The force of the impact was still strong enough to send Zabuza flying, Impacting hard against a tree and falling to his knees. Kakashi tried to take a step forward, but couldn't, his feet seemingly stuck fast to the surface of the water.

The assassin laughed quietly as he picked himself up off the floor. "Well, that was a hell of a punch, but I'm afraid your time is up." He moved to the water's edge, placing a hand on Kakashi's chest.

"Water prison Jutsu!"

Kakashi looked back at his students. "I've lost!" He shouted. "Run!" An orb of water rapidly began to form around the silver haired ninja, rising around his legs. Zabuza, moving slightly stiffly, reached down to pick up his sword. One of his arms was still stuck in the water, holding the jutsu together.

What happened next was neither well planned, nor well advised. This is no less true for the fact that it worked. Both Naruto and Sasuke rushed forward with angry yells, each making hand-signs in perfect unison. The two leapt high into the air.

"Fire style: Fireball Jutsu!"

"Wind style: Great Breakthrough!"

The two jutsus combined in midair and the great fireball emerged, rocketing towards Zabuza and Kakashi with the speed of a runaway locomotive. Both Kakashi and Zabuza realised something at the same time. Kakashi, shielded as he was by a protective wall of chakra reinforced water, would probably survive this. Zabuza, still rooted to the spot by his arm holding the water prison up, and unable to make hand-signs with both hands occupied, would almost definitely not. Zabuza moved very, very quickly. Fire hit water in a violent explosion of heat and steam. When the mist cleared, Kakashi was laying face down at the water's edge, half in, half out of the water. Zabuza was nowhere to be seen.

"Protect Tazuna!" Sakura shouted, and the other two double timed it back to the rest of the party, the three of them forming a triangle around the old man as they waited, their breath bated. Eventually, a lone figure stumbled out of the tree line. Zabuza was badly burned, his exposed chest split and cracked with angry welts, his body covered in crusted brown scorch marks.

"Gotta say kids," He said slowly as he staggered forward. "That was one pretty cold move, blasting your teacher just to get a clear shot at your enemy. You'd make pretty damn fine hidden mist shinobi." The three Genin turned to face Zabuza wordlessly, each with a kunai raised, a determined expression in their eyes. Before the battle had a chance to begin, there was a brief whistling sound, and a small silver needle struck the burned ninja in the neck. His eyes glazed over and he fell to the ground with an unceremonious thud. A short, robed figure dropped from the trees just above, a mask covering the entirety of their face.

"My apologies for the trouble this man has caused you," The figure said in a slightly muffled voice. "My team has been hunting him for some time now, and your battle presented what may well have been the only chance we had."

Naruto gaped. "W-who?"

The masked ninja laughed slightly. "I am a hunter nin from the village of the mist. It is our job to apprehend deserters and to make sure that any secrets they took with them when they left, stay secret." The figure stooped down, picking up the scorched corpse under one arm, quite a feat given that the man was at least twice their size. Before anyone had the chance to protest, the hunter nin disappeared, leaping into the trees once again. As Sasuke and Naruto stared after the figure, Sakura gave a small shriek of realization, before turning and running in a dash towards where Kakashi lay.

It was pretty bad. Where Zabuza had been burned, Kakashi had been boiled. His skin was dotted with blisters and angry red patches, the whole back half of his body veined with white traces the color of cooked fish. He groaned quietly as they pulled him from the water. That, at least, was a good sign. There followed a tense several minutes while they applied emergency first aid, rubbing the exposed skin with an antiseptic cream laced with a moderate strength painkiller, taking care to keep his face covered. Eventually, he was docile enough to carry, and Tazuna carried him in a piggyback while the three ninja maintained formation around him. By the end of the day, they were in the village that Tazuna called home.

 **AN: Okay, so, initially, I had this whole massive chess battle sequence planned where everyone had a little moment to be awesome and stuff. After going through writing like three different scenarios and strategies, each one entirely different from the others, I realized that only one of them worked. Mainly because the other two had serious and exploitable strategic flaws, and the third one required so many explanations and play by plays to make work that it was just gonna wind up seriously boring. So I eventually decided 'What the hell, let's just get Naruto and Sasuke to hit the chessboard with a sledgehammer.' After all, Sakura had her turn being a badass last time, they need to share.**

 **As always, feel free to review, I love it when people do that, bye! :P**


	10. Chapter 10: Cave boy

**Years ago, the outskirts of the hidden Mist village, Kimimaro:**

The child sat alone in his cell, absently stabbing at a wall with a short blade, his arm jarring painfully every time the blade caught. He didn't care, the pain was one of the few things that helped him remember he was alive. Perhaps he would talk to mister statue about that later. Mister statue always listened to him, and never minded being stabbed. Mister statue was his very best friend.

A tall figure approached the bars of the cage, fiddling with the lock to his door. "Who's there?" Asked the boy, not quite able to bring himself to feel fear, merely a vague sort of interest. Were they finally going to kill him?

"It doesn't matter who I am, get out." The hulking man replied, pulling open the door and standing back so the boy could step out. As he did so, the boy saw the moonlight at the entrance to his small cavern directly for the first time in years. He had to shield his eyes from the glare. The large man spoke again. "Kimimaro, the time has come for you to be of use, for the sake of the Kaguya clan." So that was it, huh? They wanted to use him for something. The boy did not much care, they could do what they wanted with him, why should it matter to him anymore?

The boy allowed himself to be led by the man to a small clearing, where another figure, this one vaguely recognizable to him, was speaking to a large crowd. The familiar man was telling them all to kill. "Make them realize the ferocity of the Kaguya clan!" The boy considered this. He supposed he could kill, if it was what they wanted of him, it wasn't as though he was unable. The rest of the men began to run, all heading in the same direction. Only the boy and the familiar man were left, the man turned to face him and spoke. "What are you still doing here, Kimimaro? Get going!"

The boy recognized the man now, he was the one who had put him in the cell, all those years ago. "I don't know what to do," the boy replied, it was true enough, who was he supposed to kill? Where would he find them?

The man laughed. "No need to think too deeply about it," he said with a grin. "Just go in that direction and kill everyone you come across!" The man pointed in the direction the others had gone. The order was simple enough, the boy supposed he could do that. He set off into the night.

The boy saw the two travelers in the distance long before they saw him, his eyes far more used to the darkness than theirs were. They were alone, an adult and a child, judging by their heights. The man had told him to kill everyone he came across and so he would do just that. The boy charged the two, his dagger raised. The boy aimed first for the tall one, a masked man with a heavy blade on his back. The boy made it within a few feet of the man before his feet stuck hard to the ground. There was something very cold underfoot. He looked down to see the ice beginning to crawl up from where it had rooted him to the ground, spreading slowly up his legs.

With a small laugh, the masked man hefted his great blade, stepping forwards and swinging with enough force to slice the boy in half. No choice, he had to use it. The boy allowed his bones to shift inside himself, forcing them into new shapes that broke through his skin, intercepting the blade. The pain was not insubstantial, both from the bones forcing his skin apart, and from the sword striking with enough force to shatter several of them. The force of the blow broke the ice that held the boy rooted to the ground, sending him sprawling to the floor. The boy did not mind the pain. He tried to stand, falling on his first attempt; his ankles must be shattered from being jerked free of the ice. No matter, that was fixable. He stood successfully on his second attempt, readying his knife once more, when that great blade appeared at his throat.

"Any last words, kid?" Asked the man. So it was, in fact, time to die. The boy wondered if he should be smiling. It felt like something he should be happy about, but he wasn't sure. The boy decided he might as well, and allowed himself a small grin. It took a moment, trying to figure out how to make his mouth into the right shape. After a few tries, he was pretty sure he was smiling. "God damn kid, that's the ugliest face I've ever seen," said the swordsman, preparing for the killing blow.

"Wait," came a small voice from behind the man. The boy glanced over at the sound, it was the smaller figure, the other one he had tried to kill. "Let me talk to him."

The masked man grunted slightly and shrugged. "Sure kid, make it quick though."

The smaller figure stepped forward, giving the boy a kind smile. _Oh,_ the boy realized. _So that's what smiles are supposed to look like._

"I'm Haku," Said the child. "What's your name?"

The boy considered the question. He had been sure he had a name, but he wasn't quite sure if he remembered it. He thought back, the others had kept calling him… something. What was it? After a long few moments, the boy remembered. "I… I think it's Kimimaro," he said quietly.

Haku smiled again. Kimimaro liked that smile. It was pleasant in a way, witnessing what happiness could look like sometimes. "Well, Kimimaro. I think you're just like me."

Kimimaro considered this, it sounded absurd. How could he be like the other child in any way? This child was far better than him, this child knew how to smile. Eventually the boy shook his head, it simply couldn't be true. "How?" He asked.

Haku reached out slowly, placing a gentle hand on Kimimaro's shoulder. The human contact felt very warm, like being thrown a blanket during a cold night in the cell. "Well," Haku spoke. "From the look in your eyes, I think you look like someone who doesn't have a reason to exist anymore. Does that sound about right?"

Kimimaro stared blankly for a few moments, then nodded.

The masked man let out a small grunt of understanding, pulling his sword away. "Oh, so that's where you're going with this. Wasn't it enough that I let you keep the rabbit?"

Haku's head lowered apologetically. "I'm sorry, Zabuza, I thought he could be useful."

The masked man chuckled. "Yeah, sure. If you can manage it, we can keep him."

The soft faced child smiled again, a shining, radiant thing. "Thank you Master Zabuza!" They said before turning back to Kimimaro. "I felt like that too before I met Master Zabuza. He gave me a new reason to be alive. If you come with us, maybe you can find a reason like that too."

Kimimaro felt something wet running down his cheek, some sort of fluid leaking from his eyes. He lifted a hand to touch his face, examining the liquid in confusion. Haku leaned forwards, and Kimimaro felt the other child's slim arms wrapping around him in a hug. Kimimaro wasn't sure why he did what he did next, only that it felt like it needed to happen somehow. He leaned in close, wrapping his own arms around Haku, leaning his face against the other child's shoulder. He began making sounds, similar to those he had heard others make sometimes when they were in pain.

"Ah great," Said the masked man, his voice etched with sarcasm. "He's a crier. Well, whatever. Haku, we need to get moving, now."

"Yes, Master." Replied Haku, gently placing an arm under Kimimaro's legs and, with surprising strength, lifting him as he continued to sob pitifully.

Kimimaro made his decision then and there. This was his new purpose, he would follow Haku, wherever the path may lead, no matter what.

 **AN: So, I felt I should put something like this in to give context to some of the stuff that's about to happen.**

 **As always, feel free to review, not that I use your comments to measure my worth as a person (cries)**


	11. Chapter 11: Burn victims

**AN: Alrighty, before we begin, a quick answer to a question posed by ThatOneGuy, who asked why Naruto is called Namikaze and not Uzumaki. That is a very good question, and it's a bit of the world building I hadn't found a chance to explain yet, so what the hell, I'll just answer it here. Naruto goes by Namikaze because the third Hokage decided to pretty much completely cover up the fact that he was the nine tails Jinchuuriki from the village, this meant concealing his relation to Uzumaki Kushina, so yeah, Naruto goes by Namikaze, which is also the reason why he grew up loved and supported as the son of a hero instead of growing up as an outcast. Good question ThatOneGuy, you are a cool and sexy person. If anyone else finds something they think either doesn't make sense or looks like a plot hole, please point it out to me, how else am I supposed to either explain it or fix it? On with the fic?**

 **ON WITH THE FIC!**

 **Team 7:**

Tazuna lived in a small wood built cottage that, even in its modesty, somehow made the other nearby houses look small and shabby. Whatever had happened here, the village of waves was clearly not a rich place. This confused Naruto, from what he had seen when they entered the village, there had been a number of large and luxurious seeming buildings, but on closer inspection, they had all been unoccupied and run down. Most, if not all of them, simply had sections that appeared to have been torn away, used either for firewood or raw construction material. How could a place go downhill like this?

The group was greeted by a kindly looking woman whom Tazuna referred to as Tsunami, his daughter. She had made it halfway through greeting them, before seeing the condition of the man her father carried and giving a small shriek, rushing them inside. Tsunami, as it turned out, had been a nurse back when people could afford such things, and still functioned as a sort of emergency doctor for those who required it. They laid Kakashi out on a small cot, the children explaining the situation and the first aid they had supplied.

"He was suspended in a ball of water that was hit with a fireball," Naruto explained. "We think he was probably only in contact with the hot water for a few seconds before landing in a pond."

"Was the pond hot or cold?" Tsunami asked, a small part of her brain noting how absurd that question would have sounded in any other situation.

"It was cold when we got to him," Sasuke answered. "Although it may have taken a while for the heat to disperse out into the water."

Tsunami nodded. "Yes, by the look of it, I'd say it dispersed rather fast. Most of these wounds are superficial skin damage, except for-" She pointed to the crisscrossing patches of white skin. "Those. That looks somewhat more dangerous."

"Why?" Sakura asked. "What are they?"

Tsunami shook her head sadly. "Well, you see how the skin looks like cooked meat?" She asked, the kids nodded. "Well that's because it's cooked meat." Sasuke and Naruto grimaced, Sakura looked slightly sick. "What else?" Tsunami asked. "What else happened to him?"

Sakura swallowed hard, before continuing with a nod. "W-we pulled him out of the water, he was groaning when we did so, and we applied an antiseptic and analgesic cream to the burned areas."

Tsunami winced. "Well thank god he was lying in the pond before you got to him. If the water hadn't cooled him down, that cream would have carried the left over heat to other parts of his body, maybe even deeper into his skin. As it is, we're lucky you made the right call."

Sakura gagged slightly, Tazuna quickly pulling her out of the room with a concerned expression. Tsunami pointed to Naruto. "When you were applying the cream, did you find any sections where his clothes were stuck to his skin?" Naruto hesitated, and nodded. "And what did you do with these clothes?"

Naruto breathed deeply before he answered. "We uhh… we figured they had been kinda… welded onto him and… left them be in case we tried to remove them and accidentally uhh… ripped his skin off or something."

Tsunami nodded appreciatively. "Good decision, point these spots out to me." Naruto and Sasuke began explaining the locations and spread zones where the clothing had attached to Kakashi's skin. Sasuke warned that the clothing was professional Shinobi gear and therefore, probably very strong fabric. Tsunami thanked them, and told them to get out.

The three children sat in a close silence for the hours that followed. Tazuna left briefly and returned with a small bag of ingredients, with which he began cooking a rudimentary dinner, some sort of fish broth. Sakura had offered to help, more for something to do than anything else. Naruto and Sasuke cleared a floor space to spar, more as a release for the nervous energy than for any real practice benefit. They ate together in silence, joined by a small boy who Naruto assumed to be a grandchild. The quiet was punctuated only by the slight groans of pain that emanated from the other room.

After what seemed like an eternity, Tsunami opened the door from the small pantry turned hospital and leaned against a wall in exhaustion. She drew a sleeve across her forehead, wiping away at the sheen of sweat covering her face, before looking at the room at large. "There will be some pretty serious scars, but he'll live. I don't know how, but he's conscious right now. He'd like to talk to you."

The three students stood quietly from their seats, feeling a strange mixture of relief and nervous anticipation, before walking as one into the small room and closing the door behind them.

Kakashi lay under a clean linen sheet, unmoving as the three stood before him. To all the world, he seemed to be sleeping, his eyes closed and his breathing slow and regular. "Let me begin," he said in a surprisingly normal voice that made Naruto and Sakura jump and Sasuke give a quick flinch that he tried to pass off as a move to check his hair. "By saying that what you did was stupid, reckless and foolhardy." The two boys looked down at their feet in shame and nodded. "But," Kakashi continued. "Me telling you to run was even more so. Had you followed my plan, Zabuza would have killed me, and would have hunted the three of you down within the hour. As it stands, the two of you saved my life and from what I saw when the fireball hit, Zabuza is either dead, or injured worse than I am."

"Dead," Naruto muttered quietly. "A few minutes after we hit him, he tried to fight us hand to hand; a person in a mask killed him with these dart things and carried him away. Said they were a hunter nin."

Kakashi considered this for a minute or so. "Well that's not good," He said quietly. "That was probably one of Zabuza's team providing an extraction, A hunter nin would have destroyed the body then and there. How bad did he look when you saw him?"

Sasuke fielded that particular question. "To be honest sensei? He kinda looked like overcooked bacon rinds. There was a pretty big cut on his chest too, where the skin pulled apart."

Kakashi chuckled. "And that, kids, is why you always wear a shirt to a combat situation." Sakura went pale, Naruto chuckled slightly and Sasuke gave a short snort of laughter. "Well," Kakashi said. "The way you say it, it sounds like you managed to seriously injure him. I expect he'll take a good while longer than me to recover, hell, I doubt if he'll ever recover completely; so in our next fight, we can probably focus on his teammates. Alright, you kids go to bed, we have training to do in the morning, okay?"

The other three nodded, none of them voicing the obvious question, how was he going to train them if he couldn't even walk? One by one, they left the room. Tsunami led them into a small room where she had some spare bed rolls laid out and the three lay down, each one wondering how they were supposed to fall asleep after a day like that. They were out the moment their heads hit the pillows.

 **Team Zabuza:**

The two treated Zabuza together in silence, Kimimaro wanted to speak, to say something that might reassure Haku that everything would be okay, that it wasn't as bad as it looked, but he could think of nothing. Kimimaro simply wasn't that good of a liar. They did what they could for the burns that covered their master's skin, removing what they could of blackened, dead tissue, and applying medicines and regenerative chakra wherever possible. The process lasted well into the night.

At one point, somewhere around midnight, Haku collapsed from sheer exhaustion. Kimimaro shook his head, his friend had clearly used too much chakra in the effort to help Zabuza recover. Haku always had always been far too kind to others. Then again, that was what Kimimaro loved about her. He rolled his shoulders and continued his work into the early hours of the morning.

AN: So there we have it, another chapter done, feel free to review and all that stuff. Otherwise, thanks for reading, BYE! :P


	12. Chapter 12: Let's climb trees!

**AN: I gots nothin to say, this is just here to stop the next chapter button interfering with the chapter layout. On with the fic!**

 **The following morning, Team 7:**

The three students had slept in late, woken only when Tsunami gave a slight knock on the door and whispered that Kakashi wanted to see them. The man had been moved into a different room in the night and now lay in a bed in a relatively spacious, but otherwise spartan room. Naruto wondered who had given up their room for the sake of his teacher's recovery.

Kakashi seemed significantly better than he had the day before. For one thing, his right eye was open and alert as the three of them walked in. "Good morning, team," he said politely, the corners of his mask lifting slightly in the faintest indication of a smile. "Are you all ready for today's training?" Each of the students stared at him, before Sasuke broke the uncomfortable silence.

"No offence sensei, but… how exactly were you planning on training us lying in bed?"

When Kakashi next spoke, it was in a voice of mock umbrage. "I happen to be an excellent coach, Sasuke. You see that wall?" His pupils looked behind them at the stretch of planked wall behind them, each giving a nod in turn. "Good, today, I'm going to teach you to climb it." This statement met with some strange looks and he rolled his eyes. "Just trust me on this," he said in an annoyed voice. "Now, I know each of you has mastered chakra control to the point where you can pool it together in one location to perform a jutsu. What I want the three of you to do, is go outside, pool some chakra into your feet, and then try making a small jump into the air. When you've done that, come back and see me." The children left in a confused silence and Tsunami cocked an eyebrow at the bedridden man.

"What exactly-" She began, but Kakashi cut her off.

"No wait, just listen." All was silent for a few moments before the faint sound of three surprised shrieks echoed in from outside. Kakashi chuckled quietly to himself. Moments later, the three students ran back into the room, their hair a uniformly tousled mess. "Well?" Kakashi asked.

"I jumped like twenty feet!" Sasuke said excitedly, his eyes alight with excitement.

"I got even higher!" Naruto added before Sasuke shot him a glare.

"You did not!" The pale boy protested.

"Did too!"

Kakashi sighed, he had a sinking feeling that he may have just invented a new kind of competitive sport. "Well then," He said quietly, breaking them out of their quarrel. "That means you managed to do it pretty nicely, good job. But here comes the hard part. I want each of you to gather some chakra, not too much, around one foot, and press that foot against the wall. Try changing what you do with the chakra once it's pressed together, and move your foot around a little. After a little while, you should find yourself managing to get a little bit of purchase."

The three Genin each moved towards the wall, lifting a leg and placing it against the surface. The three of them focused for a moment. The result was quite surprising. Despite her lack of prior experience in manipulating advanced jutsu, Sakura was the first to see it.

"W-woa-h!" She yelped as she tried moving her foot, only to pull herself off the floor. Gravity asserted itself and the girl tumbled backwards, hitting her head on the floor painfully. The other two had at least enough grace not to laugh. "Well done Sakura." Said Kakashi, his voice surprised. "That was impressively quick, you're ready for the next stage. As for you two, keep trying." The two boys did not have enough grace not to groan in annoyance. Sakura stood gingerly, surprised and a little pleased, that her apparent blunder had actually been a roaring success. "Now, Sakura, I want you to do that again. Except this time, get ready to catch yourself so you don't hit the floor. When you get on to the wall with one foot, you're going to try doing it with both feet at once." Sakura nodded, and set to work.

The training continued like this for some time, Kakashi coaching them in the basics, teaching them how to regulate the chakra flow to allow them to walk on the wall slowly, their hands close to the ground for support. Eventually, he announced all of them ready for the next step. They had to go out into the forest and climb trees. Kakashi told them that they had to alternate between slowly walking up the trees and running as fast as possible. This was in order to get used to regulating chakra at different speeds.

The three students set off together into the woods while an irritated Tsunami scrubbed the footprints off her wall, shooting cold glances at Kakashi as she did so.

 **Team Zabuza:**

Haku awoke, groggy, feeling utterly drained. "Hey there sleepyhead," Said a soft voice nearby.

"…Kimimaro?" Haku asked, eyes drifting open.

"The one and only," said the boy with a smile. He reached down, offering the other child a hand, which Haku took, standing.

"W-what happened to master Zabuza?" Haku asked, suddenly panicked as the memory of the previous day resurfaced.

Kimimaro placed a placating hand on the smaller ninja's shoulder. "He's resting. It's not pretty, but he'll live. Probably never be as strong as he was though, the fire ate through a lot of nerve clusters and the explosion broke some fairly major bones.

Haku felt wretched, sagging against Kimimaro for support. "I should have done more," she said in a small voice. "Should have intervened sooner. I-"

A quiet growl from the other room interrupted the litany. "You're too sensitive, Haku," said Zabuza quietly. "You did as I told you to, I expect nothing more than that. Now go fetch some medicine for these wounds, your rabbit needs to sleep."

Kimimaro bristled internally at the nickname, but as always, did not allow himself to show it. All was fine as long as Haku was fine.

Haku nodded, still troubled, but resolved to save it for later. "Of course master." With a quiet rustling, the small ninja left to change into civilian gear, before heading out to gather curatives.

 **Naruto:**

Naruto had practiced with the other two for a time, making a competition out of who could climb the highest trees first. But had grown increasingly uncomfortable around Sasuke and Sakura. It had begun innocently enough. Sasuke had complimented Sakura when she reached the top of a particularly tall tree, and she had given a slight blush, giggling quietly as she thanked him. Then Sakura had begun encouraging Sasuke to climb some of the higher trees, suffice it to say that her comments towards his ability had been even more over the top than usual, leaving him bright red and awkwardly trying to affect modesty. After about an hour of the two blushingly refusing to make the first move, Naruto let out an exaggerated groan. "Oh my god will you two just kiss already!" He shouted before stomping off to practice on his own, leaving the other two staring at his retreating back, both bright red.

"W-well… I mean," Sasuke stuttered quietly, once he was certain Naruto was out of earshot. "W-we could… if you wanted…"

"S-sure," Sakura said with a shy smile, her face practically glowing with embarrassment. "I don't mind."

Moving more awkwardly than anyone with a lifetime of training in acrobatic martial arts had any right to, the two turned to face one another. With a deep breath, the two closed their eyes by mutual agreement, moving their heads forwards slowly.

"D-did you just kiss my chin?" Sakura asked quietly.

"I think so… maybe we should try it with our eyes open next time," Sasuke replied, ruefully.

 **AN: After like three chapters exclusively dealing with high stress medical procedures, injuries threatening permanent disabilities and a story about a child who lived in a cage till he was seven, I thought you guys might appreciate something a little fluffy to wind down with. Quick statement, these characters will not be doing anything more than kissing, at least for the moment, let us all take a moment to remember that they're like, twelve years old, which is why they're just kissing.**


	13. Chapter 13: The white kimono

**AN:... Okay, let's go.**

 **Naruto:**

The boy found himself a clearing by a small stream to practice his climbing. Running up the trunks of the sturdy, ancient things again and again. Once it all began to feel a little bit too easy, Naruto decided to try charging up the chakra in his feet mid run, using it to jump from one tree to the next without breaking flow. His first few attempts were successful, his third, however, was not. Naruto failed to use quite enough chakra in his jump and, instead of launching himself onto the trunk of a nearby tree, he launched himself out into depressingly empty air. With a yelp, the boy fell a good twenty feet or so to the ground. He landed with a dull thud, the air knocked out of him.

"Are you okay?" A quiet voice called out, Naruto jerked upright, looking around for a few moments before identifying the source of the sound, a figure some distance away, walking towards him. He picked himself up, dusting off.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Naruto said, trying to be casual about it. "I'm tough enough for a fall like that any day."

The figure laughed as they stepped into view, a musical, tinkling sound. Now that Naruto saw the figure clearly, it was a slim looking girl, her oval face framed by long bangs of sleek, black hair. Naruto had never really understood the whole 'girls' thing, he had assumed it would be something he took an interest in later. Nevertheless, he found this particular girl breathtaking. He tried to stand a fraction taller. "So do you fall out of trees often then?" She asked with a smile.

Naruto was slightly surprised that such a remark failed to undercut him as it normally might. "All the time," he said with a grin. "I like to elbow barge the ground sometimes when it pisses me off, you know?"

"The ground can be very rude sometimes," the girl agreed, nodding sagely.

Naruto laughed, feeling strangely light for some reason. "So," he said casually. "What brings you out into the forest?"

The girl lifted her white cotton covered arms to show Naruto the contents of a basket. "I'm collecting herbs to help heal my master; although I haven't found any thornroot flowers around here anywhere, they're supposed to be abundant in this area."

"Would you like some help looking?" Naruto offered, trying not to sound too eager. "Everyone always says you should help out a pretty girl."

The girl giggled slightly. "Sure, that would be nice," She extended a hand. "I'm Haku."

Naruto took the proffered hand, shaking it, enjoying the feeling of touching her skin. "Naruto," he introduced himself. "Nice to meet you."

The two of them walked together for some time, scanning the undergrowth for the plant Haku had described, a small white flower with a deep brown stem. As they walked, they chatted quietly, Haku telling stories of her travels with her master; apparently, they had only recently come to the land of waves. Naruto shared stories of his life in the leaf village, tactfully avoiding mention of the more traumatizing aspects of his childhood.

"You sure trained a lot," Haku said quietly. "You must be quite driven."

"Well," Naruto responded hesitantly. "I… let's just say I had some serious motivation."

Haku nodded as though that half explanation made perfect sense to her. "Yeah, I guess I know what you mean in a way."

The two of them told stories of their adoptive siblings, Haku chuckling over the bone-headedness of Sasuke, Naruto laughing at her stories of Kimimaro.

"It sounds like you care for him very deeply." Said Haku.

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, it sounds like you do too."

Haku gave a small smile. "He's the person who matters most to me in the world, besides my master."

Naruto could understand that, he felt similarly about Sasuke. "Wow, your master must be really something if he matters even more than Kimimaro." Naruto murmured.

"Yes," Haku nodded with a slightly sad smile. "Yes he is."

After walking together for some time, Haku found what she was looking for, pointing to a small flower at the base of a massive tree and stooping to harvest its roots with a small knife. Naruto held the basket for her as she worked, holding it out as she deposited the thorny brown stems into the small pile of plants.

"Thank you for this," Haku said quietly. "Talking to you helped me think through some things, Naruto." She moved forwards and wrapped her arms around the boy in a hug.

Naruto blushed bright red. "Y-yeah, me too." He said, wrapping the one arm not holding the basket around her back in turn.

As the girl turned to leave, Naruto called quietly after her. "H-hey, can… can I see you again?" He asked, trying to think of some way to make the words not sound silly and childish.

Haku turned slightly to look at him, another of those delicate smiles on her face. "I only found enough thornroot for today's medicine, I'll be out here again tomorrow if you want to meet me."

"Sure!" Naruto said with a grin. "I'd love to."

Without another word, the beautiful girl left. Naruto made his way back to the clearing by the stream and continued climbing, his thoughts a happy jumble.

 **Team 7:**

Naruto decided to head back to the village at around dusk, his body still filled with that strange, light feeling. He met up with the other two on his way back in. For some reason, their awkward romantic vibe didn't seem to bother him as much as it had done.

"So, did you kiss?" He asked as they walked.

Sasuke shrugged. "Maybe."

Naruto turned to Sakura. "How was it? Did he suck?"

Sakura smiled slightly and aimed a playful punch at his shoulder. "It wasn't so bad," She said quietly.

Sasuke blanched, pointing a finger at the girl. "Not so bad? I'll have you know I'm the best damn kisser in the whole leaf village, Sakura."

"Just ask Ino," Naruto muttered quietly behind him.

"WHAT!?" Sakura exploded. "HE KISSED INO!?"

Sasuke went pale. "N-no! Never happened! Promise!"

Sakura gave Naruto a look that would have been classified as rank A intimidation technique had anyone else seen it. "You have five seconds to run, Naruto. Five, four."

"Gotta go," Naruto said hurriedly, heading towards the village at a sprint.

Sakura didn't bother chasing after him. "There," She said quietly. "Now we're alone again." She slipped her hand into Sasuke's as they walked.

"Did he seem weirdly cheerful to you?" Sasuke asked as they walked together.

Tsunami wasn't quite sure how, but somehow Kakashi was able to walk well enough that evening to join the rest of the group for dinner. As they chattered loudly amongst themselves, eating hearty portions of that same fish broth, (Tazuna had explained that fish was essentially the cheapest foodstuff available in the village at the moment,) Kakashi took careful note of his students altered chemistry: The strange cheer that pervaded them, the almost manic gleam in their eyes. _Oh god,_ he thought to himself. _Now I have to deal with teenage romance. This is why I hate working with kids._

After dinner, Naruto quietly approached Tsunami in her room to ask for her help. "Hey, miss Tsunami?" He asked, his voice quiet as he stood outside her door. "Can I ask you something?"

The door opened slightly to let the boy in. "Of course, Naruto," she said gently. "What is it?"

Naruto shuffled his feet nervously. "I uhh… I met this girl in the forest today. She was picking herbs and said her master was really sick, I was wondering if you might have something for him."

"Ah," Tsunami said with a smile. "Do you, by any chance, like this girl Naruto?" The boy hesitated, then nodded. "Well then, why don't you tell me what she was looking for and I'll see what I have."

Naruto grinned. "Thank you Miss Tsunami! The only thing I know by name was thornroot, but there were also these purple flowers with little brown patches in the middles, and a weird looking vine with leaves shaped like this." He took out his writing pad and sketched a rough picture.

"Hmm," the woman murmured thoughtfully. "Considering those ingredients, if I have it right, it sounds like she's treating a pretty serious burn victim."

Naruto felt himself grow a little colder.

 **AN: I have nothing really to say here, feel free to comment and stuff, you know the thing by now, later!**


	14. Chapter 14: Fresh breakfast waffles

**AN: To those of you who keep skipping past all the chapters with boring sounding names, I might just start giving all my most exciting chapters really dull sounding titles, just so that you miss them. :P That's right, I am sorry to inform you that this chapter has absolutely nothing to do with freshly baked waffles, not only that, but you have also just become part of my devilish scheme. MUAHAHA!**

 **The following morning, Deidara:**

This land was so cold and dark in the mornings, not like Iwagakure had been at all. The height among the mountains had always meant sunlight in the mornings, and even though it had been cold at times, it had always been a crisp sort of cold. The cold here was wet, compounded by a heavy, bone chilling fog that curled around his heels. The sixteen year old heaved a sigh, he missed his home sometimes.

The young mercenary squared his shoulders. That was enough self-pity for the moment. This man, Gato, supposedly had a job for him. For now, that was enough.

Deidara walked through the doors and into the large building, sighing appreciatively as a wave of warm, dry air washed over him. A servant met the young ninja at the entrance to a great hallway, bowing deeply and leading him to the master's rooms. Deidara followed with a smile, they sure knew how to treat great artists here, or maybe they just knew how to act with dangerous people in general. Deidara wondered idly who had taught them such respect.

A door was opened in front of him and without waiting for an invitation, Deidara stepped inside. Gato was a short man, old, with dark glasses and the look of a mobster. Deidara almost laughed, he wondered what such a man would make of his hands.

The short man grunted where he sat as Deidara sat himself down casually. "You have no sense of decorum, do you boy?" Gato said with a smirk.

Deidara shrugged. "I just don't like wasting time. What's this job you want me to do?"

Gato gave him a long stare. For all the world it was almost as though the man was trying to intimidate him. Deidara grinned and gave his rebuttal, reaching down and resting the palm of his hand on the brim of one of the empty teacups that sat on the table between them. There was a crunching sound as the mouth in his palm began to chew at the teacup, breaking apart the thin, baked clay. Gato, to his credit, was only taken off balance for a moment or two on discovering that his new employee had mouths in his hands. He nevertheless decided to get to the point.

"I recently received information that one of the mercenaries I hired to kill a bridge builder has been seriously injured. This man was expensive, and I have no wish to pay for the service he is no longer able to give. You are to kill this man as well as the target I had assigned to him. In exchange, I shall pay his fee to you instead."

Deidara nodded absently, his hand continuing to crunch at the teacup between them. "Why don't you have some of your guys kill him then? I thought you said he was badly injured."

Gato inclined his head slightly. "The man himself is, indeed, no threat to me. He is currently bedridden, and I doubt he will recover for some time. His companions, however, are both high level shinobi with unknown abilities. While I could kill him relatively easily, it's his partners I need you for."

The blonde ninja grinned. "I see. So then, tell me, what are the names of these people I am to kill?"

Gato grinned in return. "The bridge builder is named Tazuna, he is guarded by an unknown force believed to be hidden leaf shinobi. The mercenary is named Zabuza Momochi."

Deidara's eyes widened. "Zabuza Momochi?!" He dipped a hand into his pocket, pulling out a slightly battered Iwagakure bingo book and flicking through it for a moment, finding the correct page and showing it to Gato. "This Zabuza? The S class criminal Zabuza?"

Gato nodded. "What? Is it too much for you?"

Deidara shook his head with a laugh. "No, just promise me that when I kill him, I get to take his body with me. I know a few people who could pay me a pretty penny for that guy's corpse."

 **Haku:**

Haku emerged from his small room, basket in hand, about to head out. "Flowery kimono again I see," called Zabuza quietly from his bed. "That only happens when you find yourself a boy."

Haku blushed, hunching her shoulders defensively. "No Zabuza," Kimimaro interjected, preparing a pot of tea nearby. "You must be off base." Haku gave him a thankful smile. "It's the pink one this time, that makes all the difference," Kimimaro continued, teasing. Haku stomped out, her cheeks burning.

 **Naruto:**

Naruto made his way to the clearing again, bidding a small goodbye to the confused Sasuke and Sakura. His stomach was clenched with nerves. Was Haku one of the enemy ninja? Or was she just another random girl with an inexplicably high level of medical knowledge, traveling the world with a recent burn victim. A girl who's height and voice, now that he thought about it, was a near perfect match for the ninja that had carried Zabuza off… _God damn it,_ he thought to himself as he waited, pacing the small clearing. Naruto sat down, trying to calm himself. The plan was relatively simple, check to see if Haku was an enemy, and if she was innocent, give her the burn cream Tsunami had supplied him. If Haku actually was an enemy ninja… Naruto tried not to think too hard about what he'd have to do, he had planted one or two paper bombs on the nearby area regardless, never miss an opportunity to set up the field.

"Hey there, stranger," called a quiet voice from the edge of the clearing. Naruto looked over and, despite himself, felt that warm lightness return once again, filling him inside and out.

"Hi," Naruto replied with a smile and wave, neither one of which felt forced. "Any luck finding herbs?" He asked.

The girl nodded, lifting her basket for him to see. "I had a better idea of where to look today." She said with a smile. "So, I guess we just get to spend the day together if that's okay with you."

Naruto smiled broadly. "That sounds perfect!" He said happily, his concern over the girl's identity reduced to the smallest of trivialities in the back of his mind. He had obviously been being silly, this girl couldn't possibly be an enemy shinobi. "I like your kimono." He said after a second, deciding to open the day with a compliment.

For some reason, the girl rolled her eyes with an exasperated sigh "Well at least someone does." She muttered.

That caught Naruto on slightly the wrong foot. "Uhh, why? Does someone else not like it?" He gestured to Haku and the two began to walk together through the trees. Naruto carefully positioned himself just slightly behind her, slipping a kunai from his pouch as silently as he could.

"Ugh," Haku groaned as she walked in front. Naruto prepared to swing the blade, aiming it to pass just a half an inch or so behind her neck. If the girl was a civilian, he reasoned, she'd never even notice. "My master and Kimimaro were teasing me about it earli-" Naruto swung. Haku moved with surprising speed, even for a ninja, swaying her body to the side and catching Naruto's wrist in one hand.

"Why?" Naruto asked. "Does Zabuza not like pink?" He tried to sound accusatory, but his words simply came out sounding hurt.

 **AN: Do I even need to say it at this point? Feel free to review, I love constructive feedback and it helps me get better, Kay thanks, bye. :D**


	15. Chapter 15: The death of Zabuza Momochi

**AN: To those confused by the contents of the previous chapter, first up, Deidara was not a member of Akatsuki back when Naruto was a kid. As far as I am aware, they recruited him during the timeskip, just before Shippuden. Back in part one, he was just a regular old mercenary with a thing for explosives.**

 **Kimimaro:**

Kimimaro finished making the tea, sitting quietly as he waited for the liquid to cool. So, Haku had found herself someone nice to play with, had she? That was good, Kimimaro liked it when Haku was happy, and whoever this boy was, he had the capacity to make Haku smile that perfect smile.

It was entirely by luck that Kimimaro survived the first explosion, the blast sending him hard against the solid kitchen wall. He felt his bones break, his arms and legs shattering. Kimimaro had decided some years ago that it was prudent to keep his skull and ribs reinforced at all times, the only reason he survived. He lay among the rubble of the hideout, feigning death as he quietly rebuilt his bones one at a time, laying out temporary structures of new bone to shore up the internal damage; some of his organs had not fared particularly well in the blast. It was lucky that Kimimaru, despite having grown to care about something once again, still was not much able to bring himself to care about the pain.

As Kimimaro watched through half lidded eyes as a blonde young man hopped down from a nearby tree, landing among the debris. The demolitionist cocked his head to the side, noticing Kimimaro. "Oh dear, this won't do at all, your body's still all in one piece." He shook his head in annoyance, walking over and leaning down. "Please at least tell me you're dead, the artwork is a failure if it doesn't even kill those it hits." He reached down, pressing a finger to Kimimaro's jugular. Thinking fast, the fallen ninja erected a latticework of bone to block the blood flow within the vein, he felt himself begin to grow feint, his brain now running on a half supply of blood. The blonde ninja stood up once more, seemingly satisfied. "Well that's something at least," he muttered to himself. "Better go check on the other corpse."

Kimimaro quickly removed the obstruction from his jugular, feeling the dull throbbing begin to subside. A few moments later, the demolitionist returned, a burned corpse held under his arm. "Got this one at least," Said the blonde man with a grin. "Now," he muttered. "Before I forget, better leave something for the third one. Let's see, where would be the biggest artistic statement? Something with symbolism. Ooh, I know." He dropped the dangling man on the floor before moving back to Kimimaro. "You," he said conversationally. "Get to be one last piece of artwork in motion, my friend. A commission for your old boss in fact." He reached into a pocket, pulling out what looked like a small handful of clay and stowing it underneath Kimimaro's still form. "There we go," he said with a smile. "Now the moment your friend comes back and tries to move you, bang goes the detonating clay. Well, it's been fun. See you around, corpsey." With that, the blonde ninja stood, picked up Zabuza's corpse and left.

Kimimaro had to work fast, he was about to pass out and if Haku got back before he was done, his friend could be badly hurt. Kimimaro could feel the clay substance pressing against his back. Going by what the man had said, Kimimaro had to maintain pressure on it in order to stop the detonation. Working as fast as he could, Kimimaro began to extrude spikes of bone from his back, growing them into the ground as anchoring spikes. He then proceeded to join each of the spikes together with a single, solid plate of bone, directly above the clay, with the spikes holding the plate in place. The pressure on the clay never changed, instead, Kimimaro was forced upwards slightly. His bones would be very weak from the loss of structural matter for a while to come, but for the moment, Haku would be safe. His work done, Kimimaro allowed unconsciousness to take him.

 **Naruto:**

Haku released the boy's wrist, taking a small leap back, dropping into a fighting stance. "How long did you know?" She asked, her own voice showing only a trace of sadness.

Naruto raised his kunai defensively. "I didn't," he said quietly. "I just knew that you were a traveling girl, the same size as the one who saved Zabuza, and that you were gathering herbs used to treat burn victims."

Haku winced. "So that strike just now was a test. That's why your aim was off."

"You caught that?" Naruto asked. "Just how good are you?"

Haku sighed sadly. "Better than you, I'm afraid. Goodbye Naruto, it was nice meeting you." She charged.

Naruto reacted with all the speed instilled in him in his training under Ebisu sensei, every fight against Sasuke. He drew himself to the side, just in time for Haku's jab to pass where his shoulder had been just a moment earlier. Her hand, he noticed, was holding one of those long, thin needles she had used on Zabuza. Naruto responded with his own strike, aiming for the girl's midsection with the intent of using his instilled strength to knock the wind out of her. Haku leaped back gracefully, aiming the needle at him like a dart, right for his thigh. Naruto lacked the time to dodge this one, instead bringing his kunai down into the path of the projectile, it bounced off harmlessly into the grass. Naruto needed to end this fast, he was probably stronger, but this girl had speed on her side. Naruto raised his hands and summoned his chakra, triggering a paper bomb he had planted in the very center of the clearing. The detonation was too far away to cause any serious harm to the girl, but it caught her off guard, the shockwave strong enough to send her stumbling forward. Naruto capitalized on this single moment of engineered clumsiness and stepped forward, putting all his strength into a single, hard punch to Haku's stomach. The girl doubled over, wheezing as the air was forced out of her. Naruto took the opportunity and tackled her to the ground, pinning her arms and legs to the floor with his own.

Haku coughed and retched under Naruto, her arms and legs fighting against his grip vainly. After a few moments, she recovered her breath and lay under him, gasping slightly. Haku looked up at Naruto with tears in the corners of her eyes, her cheeks flushed red. "P-please…" she whispered quietly. "B-be gentle."

Naruto went red in under a second. "N-now wait a second," he spluttered reflexively. "I'm not gonna-" He didn't get to finish that sentence as Haku used his distracted embarrassment to wriggle a single leg free and plant a fierce kick between Naruto's legs. Even with all his trained resilience to pain, that blow got to him. He reflexively shifted forwards on top of the girl, freeing her other leg. Naruto barely maintained his grip on the girl's hands as he opened his mouth to retch in the pain induced nausea. Haku bucked to the side under him, wriggling a hand free; a hand which, somehow, was already holding another of those thin needles. In one fluid motion, Haku struck, embedding the needle into Naruto's shoulder. His muscles jumped reflexively at the pain and Haku used that to work her last hand free, squirming out from under him and standing up.

"I'm sorry Naruto," Haku said quietly. "I didn't want to have to hurt you like this, but you left me no choice."

Still gagging slightly, Naruto tried to calculate the relative locations of the paper bombs in his head. There was one only three or four meters back from where the girl stood, he hoped to god that it wouldn't hurt her too badly as he made the sign. Haku saw what Naruto was doing and, with no real Idea of where the paper bomb might be, chose to run straight for Naruto. The blast caught Haku mid stride, throwing her a good seven meters and sending Naruto rolling slightly. Naruto pushed himself to his feet with a groan, standing on shaking legs. "Well," He said in a weak voice. "I think we both got in a few good hits there."

Haku pushed herself up from the ground, trembling slightly, a concussive blast was not a fun thing to be hit by. "Yeah," She mumbled quietly. "I'd say the score's about even so far." The girl began making hand-signs, ones which Naruto recognized and began to emulate, she finished first.

"Wind style: Great Breakthrough!"They both shouted in near unison, filling their lungs and sending two great waves of air roaring towards one another.

The jutsu collided with a thunderous clap in the center of the clearing, the blast of air throwing both ninja off their feet. Naruto felt his back strike a tree painfully. Haku, he saw, was thrown bodily into the river, where she lay beneath the surface, apparently unconscious. Naruto stumbled forwards, crossing the clearing as fast as he could and wading into the waist deep water. As Naruto reached the girl, her eyes flew open and she moved up through the water. Naruto had been half expecting this, and already had a kunai ready, Haku pressed the tip of the needle against Naruto's throat just as the tip of Naruto's blade met hers.

Both fighters were utterly silent for a moment, not sure what was meant to happen next. Eventually, Naruto snickered, a snicker that grew into a hearty laugh. "What?" Haku asked, confused.

Naruto made a gesture with his free arm, a waving motion intended to capture the whole scene. "Well, it's just… Isn't this just like a scene from one of those terrible ninja movies the civilians keep making?"

Haku snorted. "If it was, I'm pretty sure this would be the scene where the brave ninja and the valorous kunoichi realized they were in love the whole time, dropped their weapons and started kissing each other."

Naruto chuckled and gave an 'I'm open if you are' gesture.

The girl giggled slightly. "Ahhh, damn it," she said with a pained smile. "You're too cute to kill, it's like trying to stab a puppy." Haku looked sideways at him. "A puppy that makes really lame jokes." She sighed. "Weapons down in three?"

Naruto nodded. "Weapons down in three."

"One," Haku started.

"Two," Naruto continued.

"…Three," Haku finished, both of them flicking their blades away from each other's throats, stowing them back in their respective sheaths.

"So… about that making out idea." Naruto quipped, Haku shoved him slightly

"Don't push it, funny guy."

The two of them slowly waded back to the dry ground of the clearing, laying under the weak midday sunlight to dry off. "So," Naruto began, feeling slightly awkward. "The girl I like is being paid to kill me, so that sucks."

Haku chuckled a little. "You think that's bad? I've just been hired to kill this really cute boy who just told me he likes me, life sucks sometimes."

They lay together in silence for some time. After a while, it began to rain. Naruto couldn't help but laugh, just a little, Haku joined him.

"I guess we should both head home then, huh?" Haku said wryly.

"Yeah," Naruto agreed, his spirits falling like a stone. "I guess so."

Haku sighed. "I- I guess we could meet up one more time. Tomorrow? If we both agreed never to tell a soul about it."

Naruto couldn't help but smile a little. "Yeah, one more day." He agreed, before heading back to Tazuna's house in the rain.

 **Haku:**

The girl noticed the rubble from some distance away, her casual walk breaking into an all-out run in under a second. She lost patience with even that after a few moments, charging up the chakra under her feet and firing herself at the ruined house like a shot out of a cannon. The rain was still falling hard as Haku whipped her head around, desperately searching for a sign of her master. She caught sight of Kimimaro lying among the rubble.

"Kimimaro!" Haku shouted, tears streaming down her face as she threw herself down to her friend's side. Haku felt at the boy's neck for a pulse, hoping against hope. Yes, there it was, it was weak, but her friend lived, at least for the moment. Haku shook her friend gently, trying to wake him. The boy mumbled quietly, quite unwilling to rouse himself. Haku tried again, harder this time, shaking the boy quite roughly. "Wake up dammit!" Haku shouted hoarsely into the boy's ear.

"Haku," mumbled Kimimaro, even now, barely conscious.

Haku took her friend's face in her hands, praying silently that he would survive. "Kimi! Thank god. Listen, You need to tell me-" She had to stop and slap the boy a few times as he began to drift away again. "Listen! You have to tell me what happened to master Zabuza. Where did they take him, Kimi?"

It took the boy what seemed like an age to answer, a look of mild confusion crossing his face as he tried to think through the haze. "Bomber…" he said after a long while. "W-working for Gato… took his corpse, killed Zabuza."

Haku felt the last vestiges of heat that the rain had not taken drain out of her. Haku lay her head against her friend's chest, weeping in the pouring rain.

 **AN: Okay, this is the part I was waiting for, the place where the plot really starts to diverge from the cannon a little. Feel free to review, mention what you liked or disliked, whatever really, as always, thanks for reading :P**


	16. Chapter 16: A desperate youth

**AN: Nothin to see here, On with the fic.**

 **Naruto:**

Naruto made it back to Tazuna's home a short while after Sasuke and Sakura, having stopped only to quickly yank the thin metal needle out of his shoulder, giving only a slight wince as he did so. He gave a few shrugs of the shoulder in question, quite surprised by the result, either he had gotten extremely lucky during that fight, or Haku had intentionally aimed the jab to fall between the muscles and bone. Had the needle been a few millimeters closer, it would have pierced his subclavian artery and Naruto would be quite dead. Regardless, Naruto doubted he needed anything more than a band aid.

Naruto covered the slightly bleeding hole in his arm with a few field strips, and made his way back to Tazuna and Tsunami's house.

Despite the rain, it was still early in the day and Naruto trained as best he could with the other two, trying to pretend that his mind was not focused on other things… well, one other thing. He was trying as hard as humanly possible to think of a way to end this conflict that might be able to spare Haku. After a while, Naruto gave up training for the moment, his heart simply wasn't in it. Eventually, Naruto left the other two to it and went in search of a quiet place where he could think. He considered telling the others, feeling caught between his loyalty to team seven, and his desire to see Haku again. He considered the possibility that it could be a trap and smiled. That, at least, was an issue he could try and solve. Naruto came to rest on the small stairway that led to the upper rooms of the cottage. He sat down and started to plan exit strategies.

 **Tsunami:**

Tsunami had awoken from a morning nap to find that the children had come home early from their training exercises and had begun preparing a small lunch as they continued to spar in the main room. She wondered how they managed to maintain their energy sometimes. Tsunami had just finished simmering the fish when there was a loud knock on the door. Tsunami had learned during the past few years of operating her makeshift surgery that one could tell an awful lot about a situation from the way someone knocked on a door. Short, gentle knocks for example, indicated a social call. Hard, rapid knocks? That tended to be something else. The fact that whoever was knocking was also shouting hoarsely at the door was another informative factor. Tsunami dropped the soup ladle into the pot with a clang and rushed to the door as fast as she could. Sakura and Sasuke stopped mid fight, watching the doorway intently. Tsunami pulled open the door and saw a young looking figure, dressed in a filth covered kimono and holding a second, taller figure upright.

"Please, you have to help him." Haku begged, face streaming with tears.

Tsunami wasted no time. "You two," she gestured to Sasuke and Sakura. "Help carry the boy into my surgery, I have to scrub up."

As the two young ninja helped the drenched child to carry her companion inside, Tazuna walked in from an adjoining room to investigate the commotion. At the same time, Naruto descended the stairs. Upon catching sight of the newcomer, the boy did something very odd. Moving so fast that he appeared to blur, the young ninja launched himself in front of Tazuna, raising a kunai to shoulder height as he faced the pale girl.

 **Naruto:**

Everything felt still, all faces turned towards him, everyone awaiting an explanation. "Tazuna," he said curtly. "I will explain everything, but right now, you need to get out of this room. Trust me on this."

After a few moments of hesitation, Tazuna turned and left the way he had come. Haku shrugged out from under her companions arm, leaving Sasuke and Sakura to carry the limp boy. "Naruto, I promise," she said, trying in vain to control her quavering voice. "This is real, Kimimaro needs help."

Naruto thought for a second. "Come with me," he said quietly. "We need to see Kakashi. Sasuke, Sakura, keep an eye on the guy you're carrying, he's an enemy ninja." The two tensed, confused, but alert.

Naruto waited while Haku approached, not complaining as he lifted his kunai to her throat. He began to guide her up the stairs towards Kakashi's room. "What the hell are you doing here, Haku?" He asked.

The girl shrugged, her eyes dead. "I'm here because I want to kill Gato, I thought you might be able to help."

 **Kakashi:**

The silver haired man sat in the bed. He had spent the last few days applying as much chakra as he could to his injuries to bolster his recovery, as a result, he was already able to sit upright, albeit with the aid of cushions. He was using this regained faculty to read one of the books he had brought with him. He heard a small voice out in the rain, followed by a commotion in the room below. He turned a page, ears pricked to the sounds around him. As it turned out, his vigilance was unnecessary, the new visitor being brought to him instead.

It was a young girl, her clothing severely damaged by rain and rubble. Naruto stood behind the newcomer, a blade held close to her throat. Kakashi had seen many surprising things in his lifetime, so many in fact that having a prisoner abruptly presented before him failed even to register on his meter. "Hello," he said in a voice of perfect calm "what can I do for you both today?"

Naruto allowed the door to swing closed behind him. "Sensei, this is Haku, the ninja who rescued Zabuza during our fight. She says she wants to help with our mission."

Kakashi gave the girl an appraising look. She certainly did seem to have had a rough day, her kimono was covered in stains and had more than one tear; and one didn't get a thousand yard stare like that without seeing something pretty bad. Kakashi sniffed the air slightly, traces of wood chips, clay dust, more than a little blood. "So," he asked quietly. "I'm guessing there was some kind of bomb?"

Naruto seemed surprised, but Haku just nodded, seemingly unsurprised. "Gato," she said in a quiet voice. "He- he Killed master Zabuza." although the girl's voice remained quiet, Kakashi noticed her hands begin to clench. A single tear rolled down the girl's dirt streaked cheek.

 _Ah,_ the silver haired man realized. _Now this is starting to make sense. "_ So what, revenge?" he asked simply.

The girl nodded, her body trembling a little.

Kakashi thought for a moment. Killing Gato was certainly an option. Since discussing the situation with Tazuna, it had begun to feel like it might be their only choice, otherwise the man would simply continue sending his mercenaries after the bridge even after it was completed.

"Naruto," Kakashi murmured. "Go check on the situation downstairs. From what I heard when this one was screaming outside, there is a boy down there in need of some help."

Naruto didn't move. "But sensei, you're-"

Kakashi sighed. "I know, I'm injured. Haku, come here. I want you to sit down next to me so that I can keep a knife to your throat, okay?" The dark haired girl nodded, moving quietly out of Naruto's unresisting grip, and sat herself down next to the injured ninja. The girl was even polite enough to offer Kakashi a blade. The man chuckled slightly. "Thanks, I have my own." The young ninja shrugged, and placed her needle back in its sheath. "Go on now Naruto." Kakashi said firmly, lifting his kunai to Haku's throat. "I need to talk to Haku alone." Naruto hesitated, looking deeply conflicted, before nodding his assent and heading outside.

"Now then," Kakashi murmured quietly. "Can you tell me exactly how and why my student has feelings for you?" The signs had been clear enough, the pupil dilation in Naruto's eyes, the slight trace of pheromones and the slightly less blatant fact that they both had traces of one another's scent on their skin.

Haku hesitated, the briefest flicker of residual emotion crossing the girl's face, before she once again regained that hollow expression and, with a small shrug, began to explain.

* * *

 **Naruto:**

The rest of the day saw several things occur. Haku had descended the stairs freely about half an hour after being left with Kakashi, Sasuke moving past her to check on Kakashi. Naruto had used the time to inform his teammates of his actions over the past few days. Sakura had been angry, Sasuke had called him an idiot. Haku had moved into the small operating theater and had explained to Tsunami the situation as best she could, describing the wreckage she had found and the peculiarities of her friend's anatomy. While Tsunami worked to stabilize Kimimaro, the rest of the group had moved to evacuate the dwelling as fast as they could to a friend Tazuna said they could trust. They had first moved Tazuna and his grandson, coming back for Kakashi and Haku. Then, finally, they had returned for Tsunami and Kimimaro, Tsunami having insisted she be given time to get him ready to move. Later that evening, Tazuna's house had exploded. Gathering some effort, Kakashi had managed to summon one of his hounds, Pakkun, who had observed the wreckage and watched as a blonde shinobi investigated the abandoned rubble. The dog had returned to them with an accurate facial sketch. Pakkun was surprisingly good with a pencil.

As they all sat, grouped together in a single cramped room of their new domicile, team seven and Haku began to make a plan.

 **AN: Just to let you all know the score, because ages have always been surprisingly fluid in the Naruto cannon, I am just gonna give you all my current character ages for everyone Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura, twelve turning thirteen, Kakashi, around twenty six, Kimimaro is about fourteen, turning fifteen, Haku is about thirteen and Deidara is sixteen. As always, feel free to review, thanks for reading!**


	17. Chapter 17: Haku goes apeshit

**AN: Okay, so a few answers to one or two of questions people posted recently.**

 **First up, ThatOneGuy (is that a profile name or what? I don't seem to have a reply option to their reviews) asked why Naruto knows wind style. Very good question. I kinda handwaved it earlier, but forgot to explain it properly. So the reason Naruto knows wind techniques is either because of Itachi or Mikoto Uchiha, I haven't decided which. The thing is, when Sasuke was learning fire style, either Mikoto, not wanting her adopted son to be left out, suggested Naruto get some lessons in ninjutsu too or, more likely, Itachi, wanting both his little brothers to be as ready for the ninja world as possible, thought it was a good idea to teach Naruto. I actually have a little headcannon sequence in my head where Itachi went up to Sasuke's dad and said something like "Hey, you know if we taught Naruto wind style, he could use it to make Sasuke's fire style stronger." And then Sasuke's dad was all like "YES. FUCK. YES."**

 **Okay, second question. Dankasaur asked. "Will there be Chunin exams?" yup, they're gonna wind up very different, but yes there will be Chunin exams.**

 **Team seven point five:**

The four ninja moved in silence through the nighttime air, team seven following closely behind Haku as they made their way towards Gato's compound. The plan was a foolish one, filled with uncertainties and dangers, but they had been left with no time. During their planning, Kakashi had pointed out that, having failed to assassinate Tazuna, the unknown demolitionist would likely set his sights on the nearly reconstructed bridge as his next target. Either that, or he would begin threatening the village. Given their best guess on how long it would take this unknown ninja to restore his jutsu, this meant they probably had until the following morning at the latest. They had been left with two options, attempt to defend the bridge against a foe who could strike from any direction, who only needed a single good hit to win; or they could press their own attack, utilizing the only two advantages they possessed: The fact that explosives likely functioned less optimally for defense than for attack and the fact that Gato had no idea they knew where his secret compound was.

A four man assassination mission against an unknown number of enemies and at least one high level ninja, or a flat out defensive confrontation against the same unknown force. The three Genin had all agreed, of the two terrible choices, this was the better.

As the four young shinobi neared the compound, sticking as closely as they could to the shadows, their faces covered by cloth masks, a tiny four legged figure darted towards them in the gloom. "Well, Pakkun?" Sasuke asked. "Is the bomber in there?"

"Yes," The dog grumbled. "I tracked him to the upper eastern corner of the building and he doesn't seem to be moving. I'd say he's either asleep or guarding something, it's your choice whether we search the rest of the building first, or target him directly. I'd recommend focusing on Gato."

Haku looked down at the small dog, her face chiselled from stone. "I want them both dead before we leave here." She said with a restrained iciness.

Pakkun looked up at the girl with a sigh "I've seen that look before kid," He muttered. "That's the face most ninja have right before they make a mistake that gets them killed. Regardless, this is Sakura's call, she's the tactician here."

Haku shot Pakkun a cold glare. "Noted," she said, her voice just a touch icier than permafrost. She turned to Sakura. "So, who do we go after first?"

Sakura stood for a second, weighing her options. "Well, it's a safe bet that the bomber is the strongest person Gato has on his payroll, which means he's probably gonna be the toughest one to take down. That means he's gonna be the most likely to raise the alarm, so if we plan on being stealthy, we should take him on last." She mused before giving the others an uncertain look. "Right?"

"Makes sense," Sasuke said.

"I'm on board," Naruto agreed.

"Well reasoned," Haku nodded. "In that case, let's take the ground floor first, before moving to the second. I suggest you let me in for a minute or two first. I have the most experience with stealth kills."

Sasuke chuckled. "Hell of a girl you chose for yourself Naruto."

Naruto elbowed him in the side, blushing.

Haku faded into the darkness and for a few minutes, all was quiet. They watched the entrance to the compound intently, waiting with bated breath for something, anything, to happen. After a few minutes, with a violent crashing bang, the upper eastern most wing of Gato's compound exploded.

"Yeah, maybe we shouldn't have let the recently traumatized angry girl go in there alone," said Sasuke before all four of them ran for the entrance.

Gato's compound was the sight of a bloodbath. Every corridor held another corpse, each with a number of small, needle sized holes in their necks and chests. What amazed Naruto was not the number of the kills, but rather the total silence in which they had all been commited. They found the stairs and dashed up them, following the earth quaking bangs that echoed still from the upper levels. They raced down a corridor, through a small sitting room, then they found Gato's corpse. Haku hadn't made it quick for him. In the brief moment that Naruto had to look, he counted at least ten needle holes.

"Pakkun," Sakura said quietly. "Can you tell us where the bomber is now?"

The hound sniffed the air a few times, turning his head from side to side, before raising his paw to point. "Pretty much a straight line in that direction, minus all the walls in the way," he said.

"Is Haku close by?" Naruto asked

Pakkun cocked his head quizzically. "Define close."

 **Haku:**

Haku had to admit, trying this alone had been a mistake. Perhaps she should have retrieved the others before confronting the bomber. As it happened, Haku was pretty sure she could have taken the guy in a straight up, close quarters fight; but as it turned out, Kakashi's guess had been totally wrong with regard to how long the man had to wait before he could re-use that jutsu of his. Haku was having difficulty finding an opening to get in close with the bastard throwing out explosives every few seconds.

Haku had managed to catch some respite in hiding behind an overturned table, but the bomber was bound to find her sooner or later. With every handful of that strange clay he threw, there was less cover to hide behind.

"Are ya gonna come out, little killer?" the bomber asked, throwing yet another explosive at a pile of fallen timber.

Haku covered her ears as the blast hit and the whole building shook.

"You know, funny thing," said the blonde man casually, his voice strangely soft to Haku's still ringing ears. "I'm pretty sure the only place left that's big enough for you to hide behind is that table."

Haku felt herself seized by a cold dread. So this was how she was going to die huh? She couldn't even avenge her master.

Wait… No. Haku was going to kill this person no matter what. Haku rose from her hiding place, taking a moment to fill her hands with as many needles as she could manage. The bomber was just a few meters away from her, a piece of that blasted clay in his hand, this time shaped into a small, bird-like figurine. The two faced one another, each waiting for the other to dare make the first move. There was a muffled shouting noise a few rooms away, followed by a series of crashes. Strange, Haku had been quite sure she'd killed everyone. A few moments later, there was another shouted exclamation, this one far less muffled.

"Fire style: Fireball jutsu!"

Both ninja turned their heads in the direction of the shout in alarm just a fraction of a second before the wall near the bomber was disintegrated by a roaring sphere of pure destruction. Haku had to admit, the bomber had good reflexes. She doubted even she would have been able to dodge that in time, but the bomber had jumped in the wrong direction, and now he was within melee distance.

 **Naruto:**

The three ninja raced through the path cleared by Naruto's wind jutsu, stopped short by one final wall. Sasuke took the initiative this time.

"Fire style: Fireball jutsu!" He roared, firing off a blast in the direction Pakkun had advised. It tore through the wall like a fireball through expensive lacquered panelling. Naruto thought he heard someone on the other side give a yelp of perfectly understandable fear before he pelted inside through the freshly made entrance.

Naruto glanced to the left, nothing, just a few destroyed bits of furniture and a hole where the roof had been. He glanced to the right and saw Haku standing over a terrified looking teenager, just a few years older than he was. Naruto could clearly see the several long, silver coloured needles poking out of the boy's arms at odd angles. He was cowering in a corner as Haku rained jab after jab down on him with those tiny blades. Naruto found it strangely disheartening, instruments of precision being used to deliver such a messy death. Sakura rushed forwards, intending to pull Haku back from the screaming bomber, only to find Sasuke's arm holding her in place.

"Why are you stopping me?" She asked in a shriek.

It wasn't Sasuke who answered. "Because we don't want anyone stopping us when it's our turn to fight Itachi," Naruto said quietly to her, stepping forward and putting a hand on Haku's back. The girl looked up from her victim, anger painting her face, her mask having fallen off in the course of the fight.

"If you even think of stopping me-" She started, but Naruto shook his head

"No, I'm not a hypocrite," he said. "Just-just use one of these instead okay?" He held out one of his kunai. "Gato was the one paying him, but you can at least make it quick for this one."

Haku hesitated for several long moments before taking the knife from Naruto. "… Fine," she muttered eventually.

"We'll be waiting outside," The boy said quietly as Haku turned back to her wild eyed victim.

As he walked away, Sasuke moving beside him with his hands over Sakura's ears, they heard the boy give a few last desperate pleas before, with a sharp, wet sound, he fell silent.

The three of them waited outside the compound for Haku to return, Pakkun having set off to give Kakashi his report already. It took some time, Haku apparently having decided to set the place on fire before she left. After about ten minutes, the door opened, and Haku stepped out, looking utterly drained. She stumbled slightly and Naruto moved forward to catch her, placing his arm under hers to support her, she sagged against him. Naruto ended up carrying Haku on his back as they headed towards the village. He pretended not to notice the wet patches on his neck where her tears were soaking through his clothes. At some point in their trip, she fell asleep, and upon their return, Naruto wordlessly lay her down in his camping bed, before curling up on the floor next to it.

 **AN: Well, that may or may not have been very therapeutic for everyone involved, cept Sakura, she probably needs therapy right about now. Just a quick warning, I'm probably gonna be stepping down my daily update schedule in a couple days, I'm about to start back up at university, I will however at least try to update once a week at minimum, okay? And if I do wind up updating only once a week, I'll try and make sure that they're nice, big updates, okay? As always, thanks for reading, and feel free to review (it does wonders for my sense of self worth) Bye!**

 **:3**


	18. Chapter 18: The road home

**AN: Just before we begin, a quick reminder to everyone, I'm still on the lookout for ideas about low level genjutsu I could have Sakura learn. She's about to reach the point in the story where she's been practicing them long enough to feasibly use some of them. The reason I was hoping you guys would suggest some is that if I wind up being the one who decides them, I run the risk of looking like I'm just handing Sakura ready made solutions to any problem that comes to hand, which usually comes off as really contrived. As before, if possible send me Ideas as private messages. You can put them in reviews if you want, but I'd rather you didn't.**

 **On with the fic!**

 **Haku:**

The girl awoke feeling surprisingly well rested, her memory foggy. Opening her eyes, the first thing the girl saw was the sleeping form of Naruto a foot or so away. It appeared that the boy had sacrificed his bed roll to give Haku somewhere to sleep. Why had he done that? Haku wondered, she wasn't worth that much trouble, she was just a failure of a servant who couldn't even protect her master. She was nothing.

"So you're awake," said a voice nearby. Haku looked around and saw the silver haired teacher ninja sitting on a chair by the wall. Haku sat up in the bed.

"So, what happens to me now?" She asked, only vaguely curious.

Kakashi seemed to ponder the question for a moment before he replied. "I really think that depends on you," he said. "I certainly can't leave you and your friend here in good conscience. I have a feeling you'd either start hunting everyone Zabuza ever hated, or kill yourself."

Haku nodded eventually. "What point is there for a tool that doesn't follow its master's will?"

"Bit of advice, Haku," Said Kakashi. "You aren't the first kid Iv'e seen who didn't feel like they had a value."

"But I don't," said Haku without emotion. Surely it was a simple fact, without Zabuza, there was no one around with a use for her anymore. "No one has any use for me now."

Kakashi leaned forward in his seat with a grunt of pain. "Listen to me, Haku, you're a smart girl, so you really need to stop being stupid right now." Haku cocked an eyebrow, confused. Where was her error? "I happen to know that Naruto at the very least, would be quite saddened if you died. I don't know about Zabuza, but I'd hazard a guess that your friend, Kimimaro, was it? I have a feeling that he'd care if you died too. You're use right now, Haku, is to live and be happy; because if you didn't, then these people who have come to care about you would be sad."

Haku considered this, feeling just a trace of warmth in her body for the first time since hearing of Zabuza's death. "A-are you saying that I… belong to Naruto now?" Haku asked, trying only half-heartedly to conceal the tone of hope in her voice.

Kakashi hesitated, sitting still for a very long while as he pondered how to answer. "In a sense, yes, you do. Although I know Naruto would never like the idea of owning you. It's a part of how people work, Haku, our lives don't belong to us, they belong to the people who care about us, for whatever stupid reasons they choose; because if we die, if we fail, it's them we really hurt. I don't really think anyone truly lives for themselves, just the self that others perceive. Does that make sense, Haku?"

Haku nodded, it did. She felt the warmth in her chest grow a little brighter now. "In that case, I'll do everything in my power to make Naruto happy."

Kakashi smiled slightly. "Maybe you should phrase that a little differently, I know you like him, remember?"

Haku went a little red at that. "W-well I mean… i-if that's what Naruto wanted I-" Kakashi held up a hand to stop her.

"Okay," he said quietly. "First up, that's something you should talk about with Naruto, and probably pretty soon, too. Whatever happens, I want no part in it." Haku, still blushing furiously, nodded quietly. "Although," Kakashi continued. "I think there is one more thing you need to do for your old master first."

Haku looked up at the silver haired ninja, curious. "One last task?"

Kakashi shook his head. "No, not quite. You need to let yourself grieve for him. If you don't do that, who will there be left for him to have mattered to?"

Haku nodded, that would not be so difficult. She simply had to let out the pain she had been refusing to feel since it happened. Haku searched within herself and opened the door to her grief.

 **Naruto:**

There was no celebration, no great parade to victory against Gato. Instead, the people of the village seemed to move with perhaps a little more certainty in their stride. Tazuna began to work on his bridge once again and the workforce willing to assist him swelled rapidly. Within a week, they expected, the bridge would be finished. Some of those same workers came together, tearing down the bombed out ruin of the old cottage where the small family had lived, beginning to build anew in its place. For the first time since they had arrived, Naruto noticed, Inari, Tsunami's son, had actually begun to smile. In passing, Naruto had heard the boy say. "I want to be an assassin, like you guys!" Naruto hadn't been sure how to feel about that, and had sat the boy down.

"Listen Inari," he said quietly. "Your mom's a healer, your granddad is a builder, you could be so many cool things. Just please, promise you won't kill people just to be like me?" Inari had seemed sad, but had nodded quietly.

Haku had cried near non-stop for the first few days since the mission, clinging to either Naruto or Kimimaro as she wept. He had done what he could to comfort her.

After some time, Naruto and Sasuke had approached Tazuna. The old man had seen them approach as he and his men worked on the bridge. "Hey there kiddos. What can I do for you boys?" he asked jovially as he stood from his work, wiping the sweat from his brow.

"Well…" Naruto said awkwardly, not entirely sure how he should start.

"We want to make an investment," Sasuke said shortly.

"An investment?" The old man asked, his eyebrows cocked.

Sasuke nodded. "From what we heard, this place used to be an important trading center before Gato took over. We want to help you get back on your feet."

Tazuna laughed. "Well, that's very kind of you boys. But to be honest, it's gonna take a lot more than what you two can offer to make a difference here."

Naruto snickered. "I doubt that." Tazuna gave him a curious look and he expounded. "I'm the orphaned son of two high level leaf village ninja. One of them was the Hokage. Surprisingly, that job pays pretty well. I have cash to burn."

"And I am the last member of the Uchiha bloodline," Sasuke added. "Legally, I am entitled to all the wealth and assets of one of the wealthiest clans in the leaf village."

Tazuna sat down, patting the floor beside him. "Well, I'm not the kind of fool who'd say no to an offer like this. How much were the two of you thinking of investing?"

The two boys sat down on either side of Tazuna, leaning in to whisper numbers quietly in his ears. Tazuna's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. That was more money than was left in the entire wave village.

"W-with that we could…" Tazuna trailed off in disbelief.

"You could purchase the first few shipments of tradeable goods," Sasuke suggested.

"Maybe hire convoy protection to help deal with bandits," Naruto advised.

"Hire messengers to spread the word that the wave village is open to trade once more," Sasuke continued.

"You know, small things," Naruto finished, smiling.

Tazuna sat, utterly astounded. This would speed up the village's recovery by a factor of three, at least. "W-what could the village ever possibly give you boys in return for this?" Tazuna asked quietly.

"A continual percentage of the village income," Naruto said promptly. "Call it… ten percent, on a monthly basis."

Sasuke nodded. "And at some point, we want the wave to maintain a private residence for us in the village, preferably without telling anyone about it."

Tazuna nodded, dumbfounded, that was a minute cost when he compared it to what the boys were offering. "I'll have to ask the others, but I can't imagine they'd object."

"Just to be clear," Sasuke said. "We don't want anyone to know about the place you make for us outside of those in the Wave village, Just leave a key and a note with the address in the bridge somewhere."

Tazuna nodded. "Sure," he pointed to a plank that his labourers were busy nailing in place. "I'll hollow that plank out and leave the stuff in there." Sasuke nodded, noting the location.

The two boys stood. "Well, I think that's everything," said Naruto "We expect your response before we leave." The boys left, leaving Tazuna utterly shell shocked.

A few days later, Tazuna had whispered in Sasuke's ear that the deal had been accepted. Sasuke told him to expect the money in about a month.

After Haku had finally stopped her continual weeping, she had gone mostly silent, staring off into the distance and only really speaking when spoken to. Naruto had asked what she planned to do now, and she had said she and Kimimaro intended to travel with him to the leaf village, where they hoped to find steady employment. Naruto had felt his spirits leap at that.

Kakashi and Kimimaro both steadily recovered, and after a time, both were healthy enough to travel. So the group had set off, leaving the land of waves behind them.

The journey was set to take a week or so, making allowances for the pace Kakashi and Kimimaro could manage. No one seemed to mind the slowness of their journey, and the group talked casually among themselves as they walked. On the third night of their trip, the group actually was attacked by bandits. The same kind of bandits they had originally been paid by Tazuna to deal with. The battle was almost laughably easy, more of a bonding experience than a true combat scenario after all that had happened. They had left the bandits tied together by their hands, waiting for the patrols that ran the length of the recently re-entered land of fire to pick them up.

On the final day, as they approached the village hidden in the leaves, Naruto bundled up his courage, taking Haku aside as they walked. "H-hey," he started, staring at his feet. "I… I uhh… I really like you Haku, and I was… I was wondering if you maybe… maybe wanted to go out some time?" Naruto's face was beet red. He had been wrong to think badly of Sasuke and Sakura, this was hard.

Haku smiled, blushing slightly. "Yeah, I'd like that too," she said quietly. The two were silent for a time as they walked. Naruto so red he was practically glowing, the pale girl a little pink around the cheeks. After a few minutes silence. Naruto felt a small hand slip into his own, holding it as they walked. Naruto smiled, the emotions running through him in that moment hard to put into words. In simplest terms, he felt like he was flying.

Walking slightly behind them. Kakashi Hatake gave a short grunt. Those two were almost pathetically saccharine.

 **AN: That last scene made me smile. Feel free to review, comment, criticize, yada yada, all that stuff. Kay, bye! :D**


	19. Chapter 19: Kakashi's week off

**Sarutobi Hiruzen:**

The third Hokage stood in his office with Kakashi, giving the wounded man a frustrated look. "So let me get this straight," he started. Kakashi winced, those words never meant good things coming from Hiruzen. "I sent you and your team off on a routine escort mission and you return nearly three weeks later, having ended the careers of two S ranked criminals and towing behind you not one, but two users of Kekkei Genkai previously thought to be extinct. Not only that, but both of them want to join the leaf village. Is that everything?"

Kakashi shrugged. "That's pretty much the shape of it, yeah," he said, deciding for the moment not to mention that one of the two new ninja was becoming quite seriously attached to Naruto.

"Well then," Hiruzen huffed. "I only really have one question for you Kakashi, why is it always you that does this? Seriously, between you and Guy I half expect every mission you go on to end with a battle against Orochimaru."

Kakashi sighed. "My lord, if I knew, I would tell you. It frustrates me as deeply as it does you."

Hiruzen sagged slightly. "Damn, I was hoping this was some kind of joke. Fine, you may leave. I have to sort out a team capable of supervising two valuable but dangerous new leaf shinobi."

 **Kosuke Maruboshi:**

The old man wandered quietly through the woods that skirted the village, collecting whatever wild herbs he came across. He had come across a singularly unfortunate wild rabbit earlier that he planned to make into his supper. As Kosuke approached his usual dining spot, a tiny clearing on a cliff that overlooked the village, he began to peel the vegetables he had gathered. Kosuke's teammates were often amazed by his seemingly uncanny ability to find good quality vegetables to cook with seemingly anywhere. His secret was in fact quite simple. In the fifty years that he had been a Genin, Kosuke had taken to planting patches of vegetables in opportune locations throughout the many lands he visited. The man simply had a map to his garden, the largest garden in the world.

Sitting down at his clearing, Kosuke built a small campfire before setting about preparing his dinner. This was his routine most nights. After all, the best way to retain the skill of living off the land was to never stop doing so. As the sun began to set, Kosuke heard a small rustling behind him and, with a smile, turned to greet his dinner guest. Kosuke's clearing was well known among many of the Jonin and Chunin in the leaf, and it was rare that he ate his dinners alone.

"Good evening, Lord Third," Kosuke said with a smile. "What can this humble Genin do for you tonight?"

 **Sarutobi Hiruzen:**

Hiruzen smiled in slight humor at Kosukes use of the word. While he may be a uniquely skilled ninja, Kosuke was indeed, the humblest man he knew.

"If you would be so kind, I am sorely tempted by that stew you have brewing," said the Hokage. "I don't suppose it could use some of this wild burdock root I found on my way here?"

Kosuke smiled. It was an unwritten law between them that one never visited the clearing empty-handed. "You know my lord, I think that might be exactly what it needs."

The two old men sat in a companionable silence while the rabbit gently simmered in its pot.

"You know," Said Hiruzen eventually. "You are without a doubt, the single most capable and experienced Genin in the entirety of the leaf village."

Kosuke sighed. "My lord, if this is another offer for a promotion, I would once again like to decline."

Hiruzen waved his hand in a calming gesture. "No, Kosuke. I promised last time that I would let you come to me if you ever changed your mind. I mention your skill because, for once, having a Genin with the talents of a Jonin is to everyone's advantage."

Kosuke looked across at the other man, curious. "In what way?" he asked.

"We have a pair of rather unusual young ninja who just joined us recently, and they require a somewhat unique team formation in order to work with us," Hiruzen said carefully.

Kosuke nodded, stirring the thick broth between them with his ladle. "Elaborate," he said quietly.

The Hokage hesitated slightly, staring into the setting sun. "The two apprentices of the recently deceased Zabuza Momochi. Both are untested, but probably at least Chunin level, and each has an advanced Kekkei Genkai. I have fears that they might be able to overpower any Jonin I pair them with, so I feel it is safer that the other Genin on their team be able to provide meaningful support."

Kosuke sighed. "So, you want me to watch over a pair of children in case I have to kill them. The idea pains me, Hiruzen." The man dropped the honorific, addressing his old friend as nothing more than that.

"No Kosuke," the Hokage replied. "I had hoped you knew me better. I want you there to be able to restrain the children, not kill them. And I want you with them because you have always been one of the kindest men I know, and these children need someone to guide them; someone who not only wants to help, but knows enough about losing people to be able to help."

There was a long silence between them then. "I am sorry," Kosuke said. "I misjudged you."

"That is quite alright, my friend," Hiruzen replied, quietly.

The two old men ate their dinner amicably as they watched over the village in the light of the setting sun.

* * *

 **The next day, Kakashi:**

Kakashi Hatake was quite sure he was being punished for something, although for what and by whom, he wasn't entirely sure. The first of his tribulations had come early that morning, when Kakashi had been awoken by a thunderous banging on his door and the sound of Maito Guy shouting at him from outside. Kakashi dragged himself from his bed, still dressed in his kunai patterned pajamas and comfortable sleeping mask, and limped over to the door to open it.

"Ah good, you're already awake!" Said his friend cheerily. "I heard you were injured, thought I'd come take a look."

Kakashi yawned widely and took a few steps backward, letting his rival step inside before closing the door and peeling off his shirt to give the other man a clear view of his injuries.

"Hmm…" Guy said, looking him over. "Those are some pretty bad burns you got there, how badly is your performance hit?"

Kakashi sighed. "I'm down to about one third of my maximum speed for now, it's probably gonna take a while to get back to where I was."

"Nonsense," said Guy, slapping him on the back energetically and sending small spasms of pain through Kakashi's body as he hit one of the more serious wounds. "You just need some of team Guy's special recuperative training." Whereupon, he had dragged Kakashi, still dressed in his pajamas, to a nearby training ground, where three Genin waited.

"Good morning sensei," the three students greeted Guy, giving Kakashi curious looks.

"Good morning team!" Shouted Guy exuberantly. "This man you see behind me is my best friend and eternal rival Kakashi Hatake. He recently suffered severe burns to almost a third of his body, I want you three to fight him."

"Guy, wait a sec-" Kakashi started, alarmed, and had to stop short as one of the three, a boy the two friends had discussed previously by the name of Rock Lee, hurled himself forwards in a spinning kick. Kakashi threw up his hands to block with a yelp.

"I sincerely respect your choice of attire!" Shouted Lee, unleashing a barrage of lightning fast punches and kicks that Kakashi, in his weakened state, struggled to dodge.

"What?" Kakashi asked, completely wrong footed. "No, this is my sleepwear, Guy didn't let me- gah! Would you stop punching me?"

"Sensei, are you quite sure about this?" asked another of Guy's students, a Hyuuga boy dressed in a white robe. "Are you sure it's okay for us to beat up a severely injured man?"

"He makes a very good point!" Kakashi yelped as, with great effort, he forced Lee back a few paces.

"Don't be silly Neji!" Guy said with even more of his boundless energy. "This man's a Jonin, he can take any punishment you can dish out."

"Guy, I really don't-" Kakashi started, before being cut off as the other two Genin joined the fray, proceeding to beat the wounded man into a pulp as Guy shouted enthusiastic encouragement to both sides of the mismatched engagement.

Guy had been forced to carry Kakashi bodily back to his apartment an hour later, laying him down in his bed. "Good session Kakashi! I'll see you same time tomorrow morning. You'll be recovered in no time."

"I… hope… you… die." Kakashi mumbled quietly as the other man left, drifting into unconsciousness.

Hours later, Kakashi was woken by another knock on the door. "Kakashi sensei?" Called Naruto from outside. Thank god, someone comparatively normal.

"Come in," he said as loudly as he could manage. "The door's not locked."

Naruto walked in, turning on the light as he entered.

"Holy crap," the boy gasped as he saw his teacher lying in bed, gaze unfocused and bleeding from more than one location. "What happened?"

"Maito Guy's incredible recuperation training," Kakashi mumbled, bitterly. "Could you call a medical ninja please?"

Naruto did so, and a harried looking individual in a white coat arrived shortly afterwards as Naruto set himself to work in the kitchen. Kakashi gave the boy a quizzical look as the medic saw to his wounds, agreeing to return tomorrow after Guy was through with him once more.

After the medic left. Naruto came out of the kitchen with a bowl of some rich smelling soup. "Judging by the state of you, I assumed you hadn't had the opportunity to make some food before you got your ass kicked, sensei."

Kakashi let the phrasing slide, taking the food appreciatively. Naruto turned away as his sensei ate, respectfully avoiding looking under his teacher's mask.

"So, Naruto," Kakashi said, after he finished his meal, which had been surprisingly good. "What can I do for you on our mutual week off?"

"Well," Naruto said hesitantly. "I uhh… I recently asked Haku out on a... a date."

Kakashi screamed internally, he hoped to whatever god might exist that this was not going where he thought it was. "And?" He asked, his tone level.

"And… well... what do people do... on dates?" Naruto said quietly, blushing scarlet.

Kakashi sighed slightly. Yup, this was exactly what he thought it was. "Depends," the silver haired man answered with a shrug, deciding he owed the boy at least a little advice after he'd made him lunch and called him a doctor. "Sometimes people go to places together and talk, sometimes they go out for food. All sorts of stuff."

Even though it was fairly basic information, Naruto was hanging off his teacher's every word. "And what do they talk about?" Naruto asked, a sense of urgency to his voice.

Kakashi wondered why in god's name this kid had chosen to come to him with this. What made the boy think he would be a source of good advice on the topic? "Well… All sorts of things. You should probably just talk about whatever you want to talk about."

"But what if I can't think of anything to say?" The boy protested. "What if I just clam up and my brain goes empty and-"

Kakashi's internal screaming resumed. Fucking teenagers. "Naruto." He interrupted, cutting the boy off. "Stop worrying about it and you'll be fine, just dear god, stop talking to me about this."

Naruto looked like a kicked puppy, his eyes going wide and just a little wet with unshed tears. His lower lip quivered the tiniest bit. Kakashi groaned. "For god's- Fine! Look, has having something to talk about been a problem before?" Naruto shook his head. "Then it shouldn't be a problem this time, should it?"

Naruto considered this, then nodded. Somewhat relieved. "That makes sense. Thanks, Kakashi sensei. Should... should I come back again tomorrow? If your friend's gonna be beating you up again, you really shouldn't be cooking for yourself. I can bring you something, if you like."

"That would be very much appreciated, Naruto." The boy left, leaving Kakashi undecided on whether he was his new favorite or least favorite student.

Kakashi awoke early the following day, dressing in silence and moving towards the window, which he attempted to open. It was very firmly jammed closed, Guy must have been expecting that. Kakashi had no choice, he had to use the door. The silver haired ninja gritted his teeth, hoping against hope that he would open the door to an empty terrace. "Good morning Kakashi!" shouted the jovial voice the moment he touched the doorknob. "Are you ready for morning training?"

Kakashi groaned weakly. "Might skip it today," he tried. "Didn't sleep well."

There was a silence outside, before the ominous voice asked. "Do I have to break this door down Kakashi?"

Pitifully, Kakashi Hatake opened the door, handing himself over once again to the tender mercies of his best friend's personal lynch mob.

 **The reaction to this one may be interesting. I guess we'll see. As always, feel free to review, comment, all of that, Thanks for reading, Bye!**

 **:D**


	20. Chapter 20: Kosuke the badass

**AN: Hi guys. FIC TIME!**

 **Kosuke:**

The old man waited at the small café early in the morning, sipping a cup of café au lait. He knew this place of old, and it was, he knew for near certainty, responsible for some of the finest coffee in the leaf village. Where better to meet his new teammates? Hiruzen had provided Kosuke with a list of available Jonin team leader candidates, and had asked him to make the final unofficial decision on who would be leading this ramshackle new ninja team.

Kosuke watched as the two young ninja entered. Their faces would have been quite recognizable even if he hadn't memorized them. The Haku girl wore her hair long, hanging in thick lines that framed her pale face, while Kimimaro Kaguya wore the trademark red dots on his forehead that Kosuke remembered from his experiences against the mist in the last great war. Both children were far too pale and far too quiet to pass for leaf villagers, he thought. At least, not without the icy pale eyes of the Hyuga clan as an explanation.

The two stood in the entrance, examining the interior of the café and presumably scanning the early morning clientele for their new teammates. This was the first of Kosuke's tests, could they identify a ninja among civilians? For this purpose, he had chosen to forgo his usual equipment, instead wearing a simple shirt and pants.

The Yuki girl caught Kosuke's eye and nodded to him. Kosuke greeted the newcomer with a smile and a small wave, and the two young ninja approached.

"Good morning sensei," said the dark haired girl formally as she sat across the table from Kosuke. "I look forward to working under you." The white haired boy nodded silently.

Kosuke chortled slightly. "Teacher? No, I'm your new teammate, I'm a Genin, like you two." He waved over the waiter, a quiet young girl with a kind face. "Would either of you care for some breakfast? The pancakes here are wonderful."

Kosuke's new teammates were giving him very strange looks from across the table. "You're a Genin?" Asked Kimimaro, clarifying.

The old man gave a self-deprecating laugh. "I do seem a bit old for it, don't I? But yes, I am a Genin, just like yourselves." The waitress arrived by the table and Kosuke smiled at her. "Three house specials please, and two coffees." The girl returned his smile, turning towards the small kitchen.

Haku broke the silence that followed. "So… where's our team leader?"

"Truthfully, we haven't been assigned one yet,"

"Then how are we going to do missions?" Kimimaro asked. "We don't really have any money to live on at the moment."

Kosuke gave another small smile. "That shouldn't be an issue. For the moment, we have been assigned a number of lower level missions that the village needs done. For these, we can quite comfortably operate as a three man team while our Jonin is decided on. That should give you more than enough money to live on for the moment, and if you find yourselves struggling, I have a house in the village where you can stay until you are settled."

The two young ninja nodded their assent at this, and the waitress returned bearing three plates of steaming pancakes. The white haired boy looked at the waitress awkwardly. "We uhh… we don't have any money yet." He said, embarrassed.

Kosuke waved the objection aside. "Nonsense children, this is my treat. A young ninja always needs a good breakfast before a day's work, now tuck in."

Cautiously, almost as though expecting something underhanded, the two young ninja began to eat and Kosuke joined them. _This should make for an interesting assignment_ , he thought.

 **Haku:**

The old man seemed pleasant enough, but Master Zabuza had often warned to be wary of old men in the ninja world. They were after all, by definition, veterans of the most dangerous job in the world. Haku wondered at how a man like that could still be a Genin. She picked at her pancakes and sipped at her coffee, both of which, she had to admit, were delicious. "So, what's our first assignment?" She asked.

"Weeding," said Kosuke, taking a sip of his drink. Haku cocked her eyebrows in confusion at this, waiting for an explanation. "Ahh, yes, of course. You two were travelers until quite recently weren't you?" Haku nodded, Kimimaro doing the same beside her. "Well," Kosuke elaborated. "Most ninja villages usually maintain large gardens of medicinal and poisonous plants, as having supplies of such things on hand is understandably beneficial. While the task of growing and maintaining these plants is given to specialists, the more menial tasks of keeping the flowerbeds free from weeds is the general purview of us Genin. It might normally be assigned to someone else, like local children for example, but as I said before, some of these plants are quite poisonous." Haku nodded her understanding. That made sense.

The three left the small café, guided by Kosuke outside the village proper, to a quiet swathe of pastural land some way to the west. Haku gasped. Across the field, in neat rows and columns, lay a selection of herbs and plant life that he would normally have only dreamed of. The field medic inside her weeped tears at the beauty before them. Kosuke led the small group forwards, speaking briefly with a white robed figure Haku took to be one of the specialized gardeners. Shortly after, the three were put to work. It was very peaceful, tending to the garden. Haku found a certain satisfaction to be had in seeing to the needs of the plants, extricating the tangling vines of the more troublesome weeds as thoroughly as she could. Once or twice, Haku saw plants that struggled even in this lush environment, their leaves wilting, their vines the wrong shade of brown, any one of a hundred small imperfections. She noted each of them down by location, most seemed to be simple fixes, replacing the soil in one section, allowing another slightly more shade in which to grow, small things. She noted these observations to one of the gardeners who came to check her work, and the man seemed somewhat surprised.

"Can I have your name, young miss?" The gardener asked.

Haku nodded. "Yuki, Haku."

The gardener noted the name down carefully on his clipboard. "Well, miss Haku, Would you mind showing me these plants you mentioned?"

Haku nodded, leading the white robed figure back across her route, making points as the man occasionally questioned her, taking occasional notes.

"How did you come to know so much about plants?" The gardener asked, when Haku finished with the last of her suggestions.

Haku shrugged. "I don't really. I just learned a lot about jungle plants for my master when we were traveling and noticed that a lot of the plants here are a lot more comfortable in environments like those of the hidden mist village."

The gardener had made a note of this. "Well, thank you for the advice. We don't really have an expert on hidden mist native plant life, so the help is appreciated."

Haku smiled. She liked this man, he was good with plants.

The team had rejoined for a small break at noon. Kosuke smiling that same quiet smile, Kimimaro seemed less satisfied with the day's task. "I swear to god, if I had known being a leaf ninja meant gardening, I'd have looked for a job as a miner or something. Plants are irritating."

"Really?" Haku said cheerfully. "I rather like it here, it's very peaceful."

"I like it here too," Kosuke said agreeably. "I find that tending the herbs centers me." Haku smiled at the old man and he smiled back. Kimimaro gave no further objection.

"If Haku likes it, it's fine." He sighed.

As the three of them sat quietly in the warm midday sun, two of the white robed figures approached them. One held a clipboard, the other, a tea set.

"Young Lady?" The figure holding the clipboard said, checking a note on the paper. "Yuki, was it?"

Haku nodded. "Yes?"

"Miss Yuki, my name is Ritsu Nohara. I'm the one in charge of this little project." She gestured out at the massive stretch of herbs as she used the word 'Project' "Earlier, one of my colleagues mentioned to me that you had some very astute suggestions regarding the wetland native plants we are growing here. Is that correct?"

Haku hesitated, not sure how to answer. "I… sorry, I didn't mean to upset anyone, I-" The woman cut her off with a placating gesture.

"Oh no! No, no, nothing like that. I was just hoping that I might be able to pick your brain on one or two of our more troublesome crops in exchange for some of this freshly brewed hibiscus tea." She gestured to the pot her partner held hopefully.

Haku was somewhat taken aback by this, but nodded agreeably. "I would be happy to help."

The kindly woman and her colleague sat down and, without delay, began plying Haku with questions about the various conditions and threats of plants she had encountered. After a time, Kosuke produced from a bag at his shoulder, a selection of rice balls, and the five of them ate and drank the revitalizing tea as they talked together under the sun. At the end of it all, Ritsu Nohara stood, and offered Haku a hand, which the young girl shook cautiously. "Thank you very much miss Yuki. Tell me, would you by any chance, be interested in coming to work for us here, part time?"

Haku looked across at Kosuke. "I umm… I'd certainly like to, your garden is very calming, but I don't know if I'm allowed," she said, honestly.

Kosuke smiled. "It shouldn't be an issue. The team can probably spare you for a few hours each morning for something that helps the village."

Haku beamed, nodding enthusiastically at the kindly gardener. "When can I start?" She asked happily.

Ritsu laughed slightly. "Tomorrow morning, if you're eager," she said, before turning to the others. "If it helps with your team scheduling, we have some construction work that we need done over the next few days. That should be enough to keep the rest of your team occupied while we pick Haku's brain some more."

 **Kosuke:**

The old man was surprised, albeit pleasantly so, to see the young shinobi acclimatizing so quickly to their new surroundings. The dark haired young ninja was practically skipping as they headed back towards the village late that afternoon.

"It certainly seems like you had fun," said Kosuke with an affectionate tone. He liked the Yuki girl.

Haku nodded happily. "I like that place, I'm useful without having to hurt anyone." She spoke with traces of what seemed like wonder in her voice, before looking up at her friend. "I'm sorry you have to spend more time there though Kimi."

The taller boy pulled Haku into a hug. "I don't care. I haven't seen your face glow like that in ages."

Kosuke revised his opinion of Kimimaro, perhaps he wasn't as grumpy as he'd seemed. Internally, he crossed Anko Mitaroshi off of his list of possible team leaders. He had thought she would bond well with these two, having also been a student of a missing nin for a time, but she was far too hot headed to deal with what Kosuke was now coming to believe, were two very gentle souls. Perhaps Genma Shiranui would make the better choice, he certainly had the easy going temperament for it.

"So," Kimimaro asked, breaking Kosuke from his reverie. "What other jobs need doing today?"

The old man walked in silence for a moment. "No more missions today, but perhaps we might benefit from a short sparring session, get to know one another's skill sets better." He needed to test these children's abilities, and soon. If Kosuke did choose Genma as their new leader, he had to make sure that the man was strong enough to handle these two. He certainly had a better temperament than Anko, but he was also somewhat weaker, it had to be said. The two young ninja nodded agreeably, moving apart to stand some twenty feet from one another.

"Who takes the old guy?" Kimimaro asked Haku playfully. The smaller child gestured him forward.

"After you," Haku said with a smile.

Kosuke chuckled, they were certainly confident. "Young man, I don't think you'll be 'taking me' any time soon."

Kimimaro grinned. "Okay then old timer, teach me something!" Without another word, he leapt forwards.

The boy was good, Kosuke had to admit. He was keeping pace rather well, and he had yet to use his Kekkei Genkai power. Were Kosuke to assign him a class in terms of speed and strength, he would have placed the boy in the high Chunin range; but his head for tactics seemed somewhat lacking, and Kosuke was able to outmaneuver the boy without too much difficulty, slipping in behind him after a few minutes to deliver a gentle prod to Kimimaro's neck. "And that's the match," Kosuke said kindly. "You did very well."

Kimimaro grunted, slightly annoyed. "I was holding back, you know," he said defensively. Kosuke nodded, taking note that he should try not to injure the young man's pride.

"I know," Kosuke murmured softly. "And I have a feeling your recent injuries may have hindered you somewhat. I expect you're normally much stronger."

Kimimaro shrugged, slightly mollified it seemed. Haku stepped forward. "My turn?" She asked.

Kosuke nodded, this could be an interesting fight, the girl had been watching both him and Kimimaro like a hawk as they had dueled, now she was about to test what she had learned.

Had Kosuke not known about them in advance, he might barely have seen the tiny needles coming, ducking out of the way of their spread as the girl switched seamlessly into a complex series of hand-signs. Kosuke didn't have the time to cross the distance to the girl, and he lacked the equipment he normally carried with which he might have repelled any more of those needles. He had no choice. Dropping to one knee, Kosuke set to work at his prosthetic leg, drawing his tanto from its sheath within the crafted limb.

"Ice style: Crystal ice mirrors, battery wall!" Haku cried. From the tone and volume of the girl's voice, Kosuke thought she might be having fun with this. A formation of rectangular sheets of ice formed in the air behind Haku, twelve of them arranged in three rows of four behind her, forming a high wall. The girl took a step back into one of the reflective panels of ice. Kosuke cocked his head, that wasn't something you saw every day. Kosuke readied his blade and waited.

The girl in the mirror moved, if movement was the right word, firing herself out of the ice like a shot from a gun. Kosuke was barely able to track the girl as she shot through the air, seemingly aimed not for Kosuke, but rather, at a point somewhere behind him. Kosuke remained still as the girl flashed past, letting the opportunity for a quick victory pass him by, the whole point of this was to learn after all. He turned to face the girl who had moved so quickly behind him. Haku was making hand-signs again.

"Ice style: Crystal ice mirrors, battery wall!" She yelled again, clearly having quite a bit of fun with this. Another wall of ice began to form behind Haku, leaving Kosuke between them and the first set. Haku stepped backwards again, shifting back into the glass like panes.

 _Ah, Damn,_ Kosuke thought to himself, before the real fight began.

Haku was certainly fast, Kosuke considered as he whirled fluidly under the barrage of tiny needles, the girl firing herself between the two walls of ice like a shot from a bow, seemingly without ever stopping. Add to that, the girl was accurate as well, each of her needles had been aimed for a muscle group or nerve cluster, targeted to slow Kosuke without damaging him. But the technique did have its weaknesses, the old man mused, moving forwards to intercept Haku's latest flight path. Anyone with a fast enough reaction time could simply reach out and- Kosuke took hold of the scruff of Haku's neck, spinning himself in a wide arc to absorb the girl's momentum as he simply plucked her out of the air. The two landed with a twirl as Kosuke continued to dissipate the girl's incredible velocity. Haku aimed a jab at the old man's ribs which Kosuke caught easily. So, Haku had speed, it seemed, but not very much strength. Kosuke raised his knee to the dark haired girl's face, stopping just shy of actually hitting the young woman, but making his point clear. The match was over, he put Haku down.

"Wow, you're good," Haku said, impressed. "Even Master Zabuza had trouble keeping up with that move."

Kosuke smiled gently. "And you are very, very fast, little one. I'm quite pleased by the both of you as it happens."

Kimimaro approached the two of them. "So, was today a test after all? Are you our teacher? There's no way you're just a Genin."

Kosuke shook his head, deciding on a bit of honesty. "I decided to stay a Genin for my own reasons young man, but you're right, I am quite skilled. The leaf village asked me to team with you because they wanted an experienced hand there if something went wrong. Having spent the day with you though, I doubt there should be any trouble. As for your teacher, I expect you'll be meeting him tomorrow, a very pleasant young ninja called Genma Shiranui."

"So they wanted someone to watch us for trouble?" Kimimaro asked, looking angry, Haku seemed slightly hurt.

"Think of it this way." Kosuke said to Kimimaro. "They respect your strength enough to be cautious."

"But those people at the garden," Haku said sadly. "They liked me. I thought I was doing well." There were a few drops of water beginning to form in her eyes.

The old man placed a comforting hand on the young girl's shoulder. "They do like you, and you are doing well. But you are a ninja, you know that trust takes a while to build. For what it's worth, I trust you already."

The girl nodded quietly, rubbing her eyes to clear them.

Kosuke sighed, at least the main hurdle was cleared; there were no more secrets between them. "Say," he murmured. "It's getting close to dark, wouldn't you say? Would the two of you care to join me in hunting up some supper?"

"You hunt your dinner?" Kimimaro asked, surprised.

"A good way to not get rusty living off the land is to never stop doing so," Kosuke recited his maxim casually. "I promise you'll like my cooking, and the company is always nice."

Kimimaro nodded. "Sure, sounds fun." But Haku shook her head, the other two looked at her.

"Sorry," she said, self-conscious. "But I have somewhere to be tonight, I kinda have a date."

Kosuke looked at the young woman, surprised, she'd only been in the village for a few days, the girl certainly did move fast. "That was quick, local boy?" he asked.

Kimimaro chuckled and Haku shot him a withering glare before responding. "Umm… yeah actually, one of the ninja we met in the wave village."

Kosuke reviewed his briefing, the team that had retrieved these two comprised three Genin, two boys, Sasuke Uchiha, and Naruto, the son of the late fourth Hokage. "Blonde or black?" He asked after a contemplative pause.

"…Blonde," Haku said, blushing.

Kosuke chuckled. "Say no more young one, go enjoy your youth while this old man takes Kimimaro off for a hunt."

Haku gave a shy smile before dashing off at speed for the village. "She's an interesting one, your friend," Kosuke said quietly to Kimimaro as they walked.

"Old man, you have no idea," the boy replied. Together, they retrieved Kosuke's cooking tools, before heading into the forest to hunt.


	21. Chapter 21: Date night

**AN: Hey guys, so this update is pretty heavy duty and as such, I might have missed some things here and there. Please feel free to shoot me a private message if you find a spot where I failed to alter Haku's gender and I'll go in and change it. Thanks guys.**

* * *

 **The previous day, Naruto:**

Naruto was nervous. His talk with Kakashi had helped him get his thoughts in order, certainly, but things still felt more than a little unsettled in his head as he approached the inn where Haku and Kimimaro had temporarily been provided accommodation. The receptionist helpfully directed Naruto to Haku's room and the boy found it easily enough, standing uncertainly in front of the door and rocking back and forth on his heels. Naruto swallowed, hard, raising a hand to knock and hesitating again. His indecision was cut short by a voice from inside the room.

"Hello? Someone need something?" Haku called.

"Uhh… Hi Haku. It's uhh… It's Naruto," he said weakly.

There were a few moments of muffled motion on the other side of the door before Haku pulled it open to let him in. "Hi Naruto," the girl said brightly. "I wasn't expecting to hear from you for a while after you asked me out, I was expecting you to take at least a few more days to build up the courage."

Despite the teasing, Naruto grinned, the nervousness beginning to fade away almost immediately as the strange lightness returned. "You kidding?" He asked, grinning. "As if I could wait to hang out with a girl like you some more."

Haku blushed just the tiniest fraction. "You charmer," she snickered.

Naruto gave her a playful wink. "So I was thinking, you don't really know the leaf village that well yet, do you?"

Haku smiled. "Nope, not a clue."

"Soo… want me to show you around tomorrow evening? I think Sasuke and Sakura were planning something similar, so maybe… double date?"

Haku nodded. "Sounds good."

"Great." Naruto grinned. "I'll pick you up at six." With that, he left, his insides buzzing warmly. So far, Kakashi had been right, he thought. Talking was easier with Haku around.

 **The date, Naruto:**

Naruto arrived about half an hour early, knocking on Haku's door with an air of anticipation. It wasn't long before the girl opened it. She looked…

"Are you… wearing your ninja gear to a date?" Naruto asked.

Haku rolled her eyes in exasperation. "So, remember how a couple weeks ago, everything I owned got blown up by an assassin?"

Realization hit Naruto fairly quickly. "Uhh… yeah, stupid question. Sorry."

Haku smiled. "You're forgiven. So, where are we headed?" She stepped outside, producing a small key and locking the door behind her.

"Not telling!" Naruto said with a grin, taking Haku's hand and leading her from the small building out into the leaf village.

The two young ninja walked among the stalls and stores of the leaf village, occasionally stopping to make small purchases, but mainly just exploring. The two youngsters talked about their past, this time without the restrictions of mutual secrecy they had maintained on their first meeting. It was nice, almost as if, for the first time, they were truly alone together. Haku told Naruto about her day in the garden, and her battle against the old ninja, Kosuke. The pale girl couldn't resist giving an excited play by play of how the old man had countered her crystal mirrors.

"Wait, wait. Hold up. You can use ICE JUTSU?" Naruto asked, incredulously.

"Yeah," said Haku, smiling as she held her hand palm outwards, a small icicle beginning to form at the centre of it. "It's why Master Zabuza decided to keep me around as a kid."

"That's really cool," Naruto said in awe, his eyes wide.

"I'm not the only one who's cool, you know," Haku said, playfully poking the blonde boy's shoulder. "Not to brag or anything, but it's not just anyone who can fight me to a standstill. You're pretty tough."

Naruto groaned slightly. "Yeah, but now it turns out you weren't even using your best stuff to fight me with."

Haku giggled. "And you were? I think we both know you could have ended things way sooner with those paper bombs if you'd wanted to."

"Well, yeah, but I didn't want to kill you," Naruto replied, sounding slightly upset at the idea.

"And I didn't want to kill you," Haku countered with a grin. "So we were both holding back, weren't we?"

Naruto sighed. "Yeah, I guess you're right." They walked together in comfortable silence for a few paces before Naruto laughed quietly and said "I wonder which of us is stronger for real, then."

"Me," said Haku without hesitation.

Naruto laughed. "Don't even need to think about it, huh?"

"Nope," the dark haired girl said playfully. "Sorry, funny boy, I would utterly destroy you."

"Oh yeah?" The blonde challenged, moving slightly behind his date as they walked. "As I recall, it was you who ended up in the river, Haku, not me." Before Haku had the chance to respond, Naruto closed in from behind, wrapping the pale girl in a bear hug and lifting her off the ground.

"H-hey!" Haku giggled. "Let me down!" Wriggling an arm free, she gave Naruto a playful jab to the side. "Pressure point!" She shouted. "I win!"

Naruto gave an exaggerated gasping noise as he pretended to convulse, letting his legs fall out from under him so that both children landed in a sprawled heap, laughing together.

Haku had landed on top of Naruto, leaving their faces only a few inches apart, the laughing subsided gradually as the two young ninja looked into one another's eyes. Naruto felt like he should do something here, in fact he had a pretty good idea what that something was. As is often the case, however, before he managed to pluck up the courage to make his move, the moment ended. The pair stood, each of them feeling a rather acute sense of anticlimax. They awkwardly began to walk together again in a disappointed silence.

"I'd totally win though," Naruto said after a few minutes. Haku snorted.

"Dream on, squirt," a voice called out from behind the two. Turning, Naruto saw the speaker, an older boy in a body covering black uniform, his face covered in purple ink work.

Naruto considered the other boy. Taller than he was, hard to read how strong he might be with his body concealed under that getup. From the headband, the boy must have been a ninja from the hidden sand. Naruto opted for a diplomatic approach. "Hey there, can I help you?"

"Sure," The sand shinobi answered, conversationally. "You can stop lying to people about how strong you are, that kind of thing makes me sick, you know?" From a nearby stall, Naruto saw a blonde girl approaching, also wearing a hidden sand headband. He made a mental note to keep his cool, it wouldn't be good to start a fight with foreign ninja here.

"Okay," Naruto said with a polite smile. "But, just for the record, I think I am pretty strong, you know." In the corner of his eye, Naruto saw Haku move, positioning herself next to him. He felt something slide into his hand as the girl brushed against him. Judging by the feel, Haku had just slipped him one of those small metal needles to arm himself with. Naruto placed his hand in his pocket, hiding the small blade from view.

"Really?" The tall stranger asked, his tone challenging. "Wanna prove that to me?"

The blonde girl shot her companion a warning look. "Kankuro, we don't wanna cause trouble here."

"No trouble," Naruto said, still forcing his polite tone. "I always love a decent sparring match. We could meet up tomorrow, if you like." Whatever he did, Naruto had to make sure he didn't give this other kid an excuse to start something in public. The other boy, it seemed, had no such concerns.

"What about here and now?" Kankuro asked with a grin. "I heard you leaf shinobi were meant to be tough." What few people were nearby had noticed the small confrontation, and were moving themselves clear of any possible fighting. Naruto felt a very slight tugging at his left shoe, a wire? Some kind of jutsu? Or had he just imagined it? Just in case, Naruto shifted his weight to the other foot, taking care to maintain the same stance as before.

"Sure, if you wanna," Naruto said with a shrug. "I know a place nearb-"

The older boy lunged, moving slower than Naruto might have expected, probably not a close combat specialist. Naruto made to dodge sideways, feinting a landing with his suspicious left foot, letting it hang limp as he prepared to take the landing with his right. As suspected, the other boy moved his hand in a pulling gesture, and Naruto felt his left foot jerk forwards. Had there been any tension in the limb, he would have been sent sprawling. As it was, Naruto landed as expected on his right foot, before launching himself at the sand shinobi, catching him off guard. Now that the other boy had made the first move, in front of witnesses no less, he was free to act. Naruto brought Haku's needle up under the other boy's chin, the tip pressing gently into his throat.

"Pretty good, huh?" Naruto said, forcing himself to sound cheery; the less aggressive this all seemed, the better. The other boy began to growl something, but Naruto forced the needle slightly harder against his throat in warning. The boy fell silent. They stood there as long as Naruto felt he could get away with, before Naruto pulled the needle back with a smile. "You were pretty cool too though, that string trick you pulled with my foot nearly got me."

The older boy seemed about to make a retort, but Haku cleared her throat, shifting so that the needles in her hands were noticeable for just the briefest moment. The boy decided to change tack. "Yeah," he said in a voice of angry forced civility. "I'll be even better next time, promise." The two strangers walked away, the blonde girl seeming quite relieved.

Naruto and Haku watched the strangers walk into the distance, joined shortly after by a third, a red headed boy with some kind of gourd on his back. "Soo…" Haku broke the silence eventually. "Is that normal around here, because I'm gonna go ahead and assume that was weird."

"Yeah," Naruto answered truthfully. "That was pretty unusual, thanks for the blade by the way." He handed the small needle back, and the girl returned it to the sheath in her sleeve.

"No problem," the dark haired girl replied. "Good job noticing the chakra thread, by the way. You're more advanced than I thought you were."

Naruto shrugged. "I felt something tug my foot, assumed it was a wire or something. What's chakra thread?"

"Strings of chakra you can use for stuff," Haku replied, putting her fingers together briefly before pulling them apart, a small glowing line spreading between them. "They're usually pretty hard to spot unless you pump them full of chakra like I'm doing."

Naruto nodded. "Okay, second question. Why did you bring weapons on our date?"

Haku shrugged. "In case something like that happened."

"D-date?" Said a small voice nearby, Naruto turned to face the newcomer, his heart sinking.

"Hey… Hinata." Naruto said, blushing furiously.

* * *

 **The night before, Sasuke:**

Sasuke and Naruto sat together in their small kitchen, eating dinner. They had just finished training with Sakura for the night. Naruto had made curry and the two were chatting quietly as they ate.

"Sooo…" Naruto said eventually. "I… have a date with Haku tomorrow night."

Sasuke almost choked on a piece of fried pork and gave a long series of loud, spluttering coughs. Eventually he asked. "Seriously?! Didn't Haku try to kill you though?"

"…Yeah," Naruto replied, blushing slightly. "She nearly managed it too. To be honest, I think that's kinda hot…" Sasuke looked across at his surrogate brother for some time, his face expressionless.

"Yeah, no. You're right," he said eventually, grinning. "That is kinda hot."

"I know right?" Naruto said, relieved. "So yeah, I wanna… test it out with her, I guess. I was gonna bring her along to meet up with you and Sakura tomorrow."

Sasuke shrugged. "Sure, whatever, not as if I care either way."

* * *

 **The date, Sasuke:**

He and Sakura had arrived at the barbeque place a little early, ordering a few sodas while they waited and holding hands under the table. The date had been fun, they'd gone to see a horror movie that, for some reason, just seemed funny to them after everything that had happened recently; laughing together in the back seats while other cinema goers shot them angry glares. Sasuke felt Sakura lean in to plant a kiss on his cheek and smiled at her. Had she always been this pretty?

The door swung open and, taking a sip of his drink, Sasuke glanced up to see if it was Naruto. He caused himself a severe coughing fit as he tried to gasp with the sweet liquid still in his mouth. It was indeed Naruto at the door, with Haku… and Hinata.

* * *

 **Naruto:**

Naruto felt like dirt. Why had he invited Hinata along? Why? It made no sense, all he could remember was panicking and inviting the unfortunate girl along with them. Hinata hadn't even been angry; she just kept shooting Haku reproachful looks which was somehow a thousand times worse. Haku had noticed too, and was now giving him questioning glances every chance she got.

He walked into the restaurant and immediately spotted Sasuke doing a spit take. Oh yeah, this was gonna go great. The three of them sat down, and Sasuke decided to open the conversation with his usual tact.

"Wow Naruto, when you said you wanted to test it out, I didn't think you meant two at once."

Naruto threw a spoon at him.

* * *

 **Haku:**

Sasuke rubbed the bridge of his nose, wincing as he touched the sore spot where the spoon had struck. "Oww… Not cool, Naruto." The blonde boy just glared at him.

Haku watched the interaction, confused. What had Sasuke meant by 'Test it out'? What had he meant by 'both at once'? She was pretty sure they had planned this meetup in advance, which meant the only out thing here that was of the ordinary here was Hinata, the girl who kept looking at Haku like a kicked puppy. All of these ideas ran through Haku's head, forming a hunch, a hunch that had to be wrong. There was no way Naruto would do something that stupid. Just to check, Haku leaned in to whisper in her date's ear. "Does that Hinata girl… like you or something?" Naruto went red. Oh god, he really would do something that stupid. Haku started poking Naruto repeatedly between the ribs.

"Ow!" He yelped, cringing away. "Ow! Oww! Stop it! I'm sorry!"

"You're not sorry enough!" Haku said angrily. "You do not invite someone who likes you along on a date! What kind of tactless moron are you?!" It took a few moments for Haku to realize she had been speaking quite loudly. Hinata was suddenly bright red, sunk so low in her seat that it seemed like she was trying to escape through the cushions. Naruto gave Haku a pointed look and she blushed. "…Sorry."

Hinata spoke quietly, a single tear running down her cheek. "I-I'm sorry, your night's probably ruined because of me… I should just go." She stood up, making as if to leave when Naruto grabbed her arm, stopping her.

"Hinata…" he said quietly, his own face a very deep shade of red. "I'm really sorry, I didn't want you to find out like this… It's… it's really complicated and… I'm sorry."

Hinata sniffled. "Why? Why should you be sorry, Naruto? It's not your fault if you don't like me. I mean, why would you?"

"No!" Naruto protested, almost angry. "You are awesome, Hinata! You're smart and cute and kind, and you're just about the only person I know who can stand up to me and Sasuke in a fair fight with that gentle fist thing you do. You're amazing."

Haku watched with interest, predictably, Naruto's praise only seemed to be making the girl more upset. She asked the obvious question. "I-if that's true… then why are you with h-her…" Hinata choked out. Haku might have been offended, but the girl hadn't made it sound like an accusation, there was no venom in her voice. It was more like a genuine question, she really was asking what Haku had that she didn't.

Naruto was silent for a long time before he answered. "Honestly? I don't know what to say here… and I'm sorry about that. I really am. But the truth is, Haku and I went through some stuff together, some serious stuff, and I… I asked her out because of that, because of how… how much that stuff let me see about her as a person, about what she values. What she cares about. I'm sorry if this isn't the answer you wanted to hear, but it's true."

* * *

 **Hinata:**

Hinata was confused. Not only confused, but also deeply saddened and crushingly embarrassed. This new girl was pretty and slim and had features like brushed porcelain. How was she supposed to compete with that?

"What kind of stuff?" Hinata asked, it being the only question that came to mind.

"He helped me kill forty nine people to avenge the death of the man who raised me." Haku responded quietly, a shadow of something cold crossing her face for just a moment.

Not for even a second did Hinata consider that the other girl might be lying. Looking around the table, Hinata saw that Naruto and Sasuke had that same, dark look in their eyes. Sakura, sitting across from her, looked deeply concerned.

"O-oh…" Hinata said, her voice tiny. "I… I see."

"No, you don't." Naruto replied flatly, not cold, just honest. "And honestly? I hope it stays that way. I wouldn't wish what brought me and Haku together on my worst enemy."

After several long minutes, Hinata shakily pulled herself up to her feet. "I… ok… I get it. If you don't like me that way, I… I understand. I-"

"But I DO like you that way!" Naruto groaned, bringing a hand to his face in frustration. "I really do! I think you're pretty and kind and fun! I was going to ask you out when we got back from the Wave, but then… well, Haku happened!"

Hinata gaped at Naruto. "Y-you mean you…?"

Naruto sighed. "Yeah… I like you too, Hinata, but… I'm dating Haku… and I really like her too."

Hinata nodded, slightly dumbfounded. "I… don't know how to feel right now." She said quietly.

"Me neither," Naruto said with an embarrassed laugh. "I guess… If we're ever both single at the same time, I'll ask you out. But, no offence… I kinda hope that never happens. I'm happy right now with Haku, and I care about her a lot."

Hinata nodded, that made sense. She sighed. "I guess… I guess I'll move on, try and start looking at other boys, and if it happens between us someday… I dunno."

"Yeah," Naruto agreed. "'I dunno' sums it up pretty well for me too."

The two smiled sadly at one another before Hinata departed, refusing the groups offer of free barbeque.

* * *

Naruto went to bed that night deeply confused, pondering the last few months of his life and wondering whether or not he had said the right thing.


	22. Chapter 22: Chunin exams, prelude

**AN: Okay, so this doesn't matter yet, Just warning you here and now that I'm having to make some serious changes to some of the structures in the Naruto universe. I don't want to, but I have to, because Masashi Kishimoto seems to have had absolutely no idea how timelines worked. For example, remember how Nagato (Pain) and his friends were manipulated into starting Akatsuki by Obito Uchiha? Well, supposedly all of this happened when Nagato was around fifteen years old. The problem is, when Nagato was fifteen, Obito was three. The timelines are all sorts of messed up and I'm having to change them slightly to retain my sanity. This doesn't matter yet, but when I get to the point in the plot when these characters start showing up, you might notice some differences, and that is why. So… yeah.**

 **On with the fic.**

* * *

 **Kakashi:**

The last week had been nothing short of hell for Kakashi. Upon arrival at team Guy's preferred training spot on the second morning, he had noticed that Rock Lee had gone out and, either as a mark of respect, or as some form of psychological warfare, had purchased himself a set of the same shuriken patterned sleepwear and comfortable sleeping mask that Kakashi had been forced to fight in the previous day. The others had been amused, Guy had been impressed. Kakashi had been so horrified at Lee's new choice of apparel that he had been sloppy in his defense of the boy's first few blows.

"Lee, why are you wearing that thing?" Neji had asked, annoyed, as the three of them pounded at the near defenseless Jonin.

"I find it very useful as shinobi stealth attire!" Lee had replied, striking at Kakashi's guard. "There is something about them that just says 'ninja!'"

Even Kakashi had gaped at this. "Uhh, Lee?" Neji had said. "Isn't the whole point of stealth gear that it doesn't say 'ninja'?"

"Aha!" Lee said triumphantly. "You see, Neji, that is what makes them stealthy. No one would see it coming." The other three had simply stared at him.

"Even though I know he's wrong," Kakashi said. "I can't find the words to express exactly why."

"Also," Lee continued. "The material breathes well and the joints are extremely roomy. They make for excellent training gear."

The next day, Guy had turned up at Kakashi's apartment in an identical set of pajamas. It took everything Kakashi had not to weep.

The day after that, Neji and Tenten were wearing them as well, commenting about how well the material allowed for range of motion. Kakashi wasn't sure about Tenten, but he was almost certain that Neji was only doing this as a psychological attack.

The week had dragged on. Every day, Guy carried Kakashi home and lay him in bed before a doctor came to stitch him up and Naruto came along with a packed lunch. The boy really was a surprisingly good cook. On the third morning, Naruto had been practically glowing as he delivered the meal.

"So," Kakashi said amicably. "I take it the date went well." Naruto just grinned. Well, at least that was sorted.

By the end of the week, Kakashi was faring significantly better in his fights with the three taijutsu specialists, to the degree that Guy was now having to join in to stop Kakashi winning. It was incredible how much being repeatedly forced into unfair, pitched battles on a daily basis boosted one's recovery. Kakashi might even have thanked his friend, if the man were not certifiably insane and still wearing those god damned pajamas. Neji and Tenten had taken them off. Lee and Guy had not. For added sneakiness, Lee had begun wearing his with a name-tag that read quite simply:

'Hello, I am a ninja.'

All in all, it was a relief to get back to his daily schedule with team seven.

"So," Kakashi announced as they picked up trash one afternoon. "I was thinking you three might like to take the Chunin exams this year."

The kids looked up from their task, Sakura curious, Naruto and Sasuke excited.

"You really mean it sensei?" Sasuke asked, gleefully. "Can we?"

Sakura looked across at her boyfriend with an irritated sigh.

"Are you sure we're ready Kakashi sensei?" She asked.

Kakashi shrugged.

"Well, considering everything I saw you three pull off in the land of waves, yes, I think you're ready. At the very least, you're ready to learn a thing or two from the experience. That said, it is your choice, no one is going to force any of you."

"I'm doing it!" Said both Sasuke and Naruto in unison.

Sakura looked at them and groaned.

"I'll do it too, someone needs to look after the boys."

Kakashi nodded approvingly.

"I'll file the requisite paperwork," he chuckled. "Be at building eight of the academy campus at seven tomorrow morning."

* * *

 **Haku:**

Haku was having the best week she could remember. The date with Naruto had gone well, and since then, she had been spending every morning with her team at the leaf village garden. She had met and decided she quite liked their sensei, Genma, a relaxed man with a dry sense of humor. Every afternoon, they drilled and trained together, Haku and Kimimaro gradually closing the distance between themselves and their sensei, and the slightly larger difference between themselves and Kosuke. The day after the date, on Kimimaro's insistence, Haku had joined him and Kosuke in hunting their dinner. As they had sat in a small clearing, preparing ingredients for the old man's cook pot, they had been joined by an old man calling himself Hiruzen, who had sat down, begun to help preparing the meal, and started telling Haku stories of the Yuki clan, her family. Haku had been in wonder, sitting and eating with the others as she listened to the two old men talking about a people and a culture she had never even known existed. At one point, she had cried, and Kimimaro had held her quietly as they continued to listen, hanging on the old men's every word.

"So," Ritsu asked one morning as the two of them watched his teammates clearing away a space to lay foundation for a new greenhouse. "Your group thinking of taking the Chunin exam?"

"The what exam?" Haku asked, taking a sip of the tea the older woman never ceased plying her with.

"It's a test that decides which Genin are allowed to get promoted to the next rank," Ritsu explained. "I was kinda hoping you were planning to take it."

"Why do you care if I get promoted?" Haku asked quietly, smiling up at her.

"Well," she said. "If you were a Chunin, I could take you on as a full time herbal ninja, like the rest of the people who work here. Your knowledge of mist country flora is better than anyone in the leaf. If we took you on as a Chunin, we could provide you with funding for projects inside the garden. We could give you your own greenhouse, for example."

Haku listened to the woman speak, her eyes growing wider and wider with every word.

"One second," she said to her excitedly, before dashing off to the rest of her team, talking animatedly to them for several minutes, waving her arms in the distance. Eventually, Haku returned to where Ritsu stood, beaming from ear to ear. "Why yes, in fact I am taking the Chunin exam!" She said joyfully. "I may need the next few days off though."

Ritsu smiled at the excitable girl.

"Well, that can certainly be arranged. Would you also like to supply yourself with a selection of our herbs? They may come in quite useful for the exam." The girl wrapped her arms around Ritsu's waist in a tight hug, which she returned, blushing slightly.

* * *

 **7AM, the following morning, Naruto:**

The two boys waited at the entrance of the small building for their teammate. Sakura was, for once, running late. Neither boy minded waiting, as standing by the entrance was allowing the pair a decent view of their competitors as they arrived. Most seemed around fifteen or sixteen. However, some of the older ones may have been in their early thirties. There was one particular Genin with a sincerely impressive mustache. Some of the years participants were familiar faces: Shikamaru's gang and Hinata, to name a couple. Naruto was surprised to see Haku and Kimimaro entering, accompanied by an old man who must have been the amazing Kosuke that Haku would not stop talking about.

"Hey stranger." He said with a smile as they approached.

"Hey," Haku replied, waving. "You taking the exam too?"

"Yup," said Naruto proudly. "Sensei says that whole land of waves thing was the perfect warmup." He turned to the old man. "Hey, sir? I just wanted to say you've made Haku really happy the last few days. Thank you for that." He held out his hand and the old man took it with a small smile.

"Thank you for saying so, young man," Kosuke murmured. "Although, I'm afraid I'm really just an old man who likes to tell stories."

Naruto chuckled.

"Sure you are."

All in all, the two boys counted well over a hundred participants before Sakura arrived, looking nervous.

"Ready?" Asked Sasuke gently.

Sakura swallowed, but nodded.

The waiting room was a mess of tension, full to bursting with shinobi of over a dozen villages, from the leaf, to the sand, to several from villages Naruto struggled to place. One rather threatening looking trio wore headbands with what appeared to be musical notations engraved into them. The purple faced boy who had interrupted Naruto's date was here along with his two teammates. Naruto wasn't sure why, but the red haired boy gave him a very cold feeling whenever he looked over at him. After a very long, very tense silence, a voice rang out.

"Good morning students. My name is Ibiki Morino and I will be your proctor for the first stage of the Chunin exam. If you will all please follow me." The speaker was a tall man. Muscular, with a face that seemed to be constructed almost entirely out of scar tissue. One by one, the groups of Genin filling the room stood, following their proctor through the door he indicated.

They found themselves in a large, long room. Desks were arranged neatly in rows along it, sheets of test papers arranged across them.

"The first stage," Said Ibiki with a dark smile. "Is a written exam."

* * *

 **AN: Yay! Chunin exam arc! :D As always, feel free to review, comment, all that lovely stuff. Thanks for reading, bye! :P**


	23. Chapter 23: Chunin exams, Part 1

**AN: So, the next few chapters should be quite interesting. To those of you who only recently discovered this fic, hi! Apart from that, not really much to say. On with the fic.**

* * *

 **Sasuke:**

All around him, a war raged in total silence, almost unnoticeable. Every now and then, however, Sasuke glimpsed a telltale flash of light or a trace of sand. All around him, the other students were using every jutsu they could think of to gather information.

It hadn't taken very long. One look at the test sheets had been enough to convince most of the Genin that they weren't supposed to answer these questions alone, and anyone who had been listening to the rules set out by the proctor understood the basic nature of the test. You start with ten points, you lose two every time you get caught cheating. In other words, you get five chances. If Sasuke had to guess, there were probably people who already had the answers hidden among the Genin. It was fairly clear who those people were as well. They would have been the first people to start writing after the test started. Sasuke had located one easily enough. Now he just had to get the answers off the guy. Sasuke activated his sharingan, disguising the change in his eyes by pressing a hand to his face in pretended despair. Watching the motions of the other student's pencil through the gaps in his fingers, Sasuke began to write.

* * *

 **Haku:**

The girl grinned in amusement as the voice from the front called out, announcing the first team to be disqualified. Who could be that clumsy? This test was far simpler than anything Zabuza had given her in years. Haku allowed just the tiniest amount of chakra to escape her, crystallizing into a thin sheet of ice on the ceiling. In the reflection of her ice mirror, Haku was able to read the answers being given by at least half the students. Now she just had to figure out who had the right answers.

* * *

 **Naruto:**

Naruto had to admit, this test was not ideal for him. Looking at the sheet, he suspected that he could maybe answer half of the questions unaided, although he had absolutely no idea how to answer the other half. The problem was simple. Naruto lacked any jutsu that he could use to cheat off other students. He had wracked his brain for ten long minutes as he considered his options, coming up with nothing. He sat forward in his seat and set to writing, deciding he may as well answer what he could while he thought.

Half an hour passed and Naruto was no closer to a solution than he had been when he started. He had a single idea, and it was a stupid one; some might even call it a stunt, but he couldn't think of a rule that forbade it. Naruto resolved to wait until five minutes before the end of the test, before trying his stupid little plan.

* * *

 **Shikamaru:**

The dark haired boy groaned, this exam was becoming such a drag. The questions were upsettingly easy, although he knew he was probably the only person in the room who thought that. Shikamaru doubted more than ten people in the room would be able to answer them unaided. He also knew that Choji and Ino were not among those ten people. With a sigh, Shikamaru placed his hands in his jacket pocket, making the hand signs and activating his shadow possession. He wound his shadow between the tables towards Choji. The larger boy went still as the shadow connected, but did not cry out. He knew what was going on. Shikamaru picked up his pencil, Choji mimicking his every move, and began to fill out the paper.

* * *

 **Naruto:**

Five minutes to the end of the test, he hadn't thought of anything better. Naruto held his breath, saying a small prayer to whoever might be listening, and stood up. The proctor glanced at him, eyes narrowing.

"What are you doing, Genin?" He asked, suspicious.

Naruto shrugged.

"I'm cheating, sir," he replied. "Guess that means I lose two points." With that, Naruto stepped out from behind his desk.

The whole room was staring at him. Naruto waited for someone to stop him, but no one did. Forcing himself to breathe deeply, Naruto walked slowly over to Shikamaru's desk, picked up his test sheet, and started reading the other boy's answers. Shikamaru didn't protest, in fact, the dark haired boy was grinning. No one else moved. When Naruto had the answers he hadn't been able to get himself memorized, he gave the answer sheet back, moved back to his own desk, sat down, and began to write.

At the front of the classroom, Ibiki Morino began to laugh.

"Naruto Namikaze loses two points," he chuckled. There was a stunned silence, filled only with the sound of Morino's light chuckling, after which, seven or so students rose from their seats. Ibiki stopped laughing immediately, pointing to three of the seven in turn. "You three, that is your fifth infraction. You and your teammates, out."

Looking gutted, the three students identified by Ibiki stepped outside, accompanied by their teammates. After some hesitation, the other four who had stood all walked to other desks, taking looks at the test sheets of other students.

The final few seconds ticked away and Ibiki spoke.

"Congratulations, candidates. All those who remain in this room have passed the first round of the Chunin exams. Your cumulative group scores on today's test will be used to determine your standings and competitive advantages for the second stage, which will take place in the forty fourth training ground at midday. Dismissed."

The assembled Genin slowly began to file out of the room, most of them heading for the temporary lodgings supplied to visiting ninja. Team seven met in the waiting room, joined by Haku, Kimimaro and Kosuke, the newly formed team eleven. The six of them briefly discussed how they all thought they had gone. Sakura was confident that she had been able to answer at least seven of the questions, Kimimaro having only managed three.

"I wonder what the next stage will be." Haku pondered aloud as the small group made its way through the village, looking for a nice place to get some food before the next stage began.

"Probably something way more physical than round one if we're meeting at a training area." Kimimaro murmured.

"Not just any training area," Sasuke observed quietly. "They call the forty fourth training area the forest of death for a reason. There's stuff in there dangerous enough that it's restricted access, even to Genin, normally. It's big, too. I'm guessing some sort of long term survival thing."

Sakura nodded in agreement.

"Probably a combat scenario of some kind," she murmured. "I'm thinking some sort of team death match." The group pondered this in silence for a moment.

"So uhh… truce?" Naruto suggested. "No fighting each other in there unless we have to?" Some of the others gave him strange looks. "What?" He said defensively. "I don't want to beat up my girlfriend. That'd suck."

"Aww," said Haku, hugging Naruto playfully. "It's cute that you think you could." Everyone except Naruto laughed. He went slightly red and grumbled quietly to himself.

* * *

 **The forest of death, Sasuke:**

The group had gone their separate ways after they ate, each preparing for the next stage of the exam in their own ways. In Sasuke's case, this had meant sitting on his bed for an hour reading manga and grabbing a quick nap before heading to the forest. Now they all stood, listening to a purple haired woman who called herself Anko Mitarashi.

"Alright, listen up kiddies," she yelled, ignoring that some of the remaining Genin were, in fact, older than her. "Welcome to the second stage of the Chunin exam. You see this forest behind me?" She gestured to the thick tree line. "For the next five days, this is your comfortable new home. Its critters are your food. Its branches are your furniture. At the very middle of this delightful slice of Nirvana is a tower. On the morning of the fifth day, Friday for those of you who can't count, all surviving teams will be meeting in that tower. Your objective for the next little while is very simple. Each team is going to be handed out a single scroll, marked with the seal for either earth or heaven. By the end of our little adventure here, every team that wishes to pass will have to obtain one of each kind of scroll. For those of you who are having trouble keeping up, that means that at bare minimum, at least half of you will be failing this section of the exam. Some of you might think that this is unfair. But this is what being a Chunin is all about. It doesn't matter if you only fail because everyone else is unnaturally good, or because you got caught in an exam with strangely talented shinobi. Being a Chunin means proving yourself to be more skilled than your contemporaries. The power level they set is the bar you must surpass."

She paused for a moment to let this sink in. A few Genin were shuffling uncomfortably. Most, to their credit, had not wavered.

"Now then," Anko continued, holding up a small bag. "In these bags, you will find three doses of antidotes, that's enough for your whole team. If you are poisoned at any point, you may freely take one of these antidotes. However, be mindful that if you do, you will automatically fail the exam. This forest has been selectively populated with venomous creatures, all of whom have the same type of venom, so the antidote will work on anything native to the forest. Those of you who use poison weaponry, there is a stall," she pointed to a small wooden stand manned by a few stern faced shinobi. "Where you may exchange your poisoned gear with some of our own supply. This is to minimize the casualty rate while at the same time retaining everyone's ability to use their full arsenal. It goes without saying that intentionally killing your fellow participants will result in disqualification and-" She grinned. "Punishment. That being said, it is still entirely possible that some of you will die during this test, and so you will be required to give consent when receiving your scrolls. Finally, in this bag there is also a single use flare gun. If you are injured or in sufficient danger, use the flare gun and an examiner will come to assist. Again, use of the flare gun is an automatic fail, understood?" She looked around. "Good! Now then, once you have your scrolls, you will each be assigned an entry point somewhere around the perimeter of the forest. You will be allowed to enter at ten minute intervals based on the cumulative score of your team on the previous round, a little extra prep time for the academics among you." She smiled. "Dismissed."

Sasuke was already pumped. Now this was what he had been hoping for when he signed up for the exam. Something that might actually teach him things. He moved among the crowd to find his teammates. Naruto looked as excited as he was. Sakura looked nervous. The three of them moved to the scroll tent, gave their consent, and were given a brown 'earth' scroll. A man Sasuke recognized as one of the observers for the written test stepped out to guide them around the forest to their own entrance. Team seven had scored quite well in their written tests, and so did not have to wait overly long. They were allowed in after half an hour, the third group in. The second round had begun.

The team had not wasted their time waiting outside the gate. Between the three of them, they had discussed their plan, reaching an agreement with relative ease. The length of the test would mean that in all likelihood, they would not only need to obtain a heaven scroll, but at some point, defend it as well. To that aim, it made sense to have a location within the forest where they held the home field advantage. They set about finding a good location, a patch of tall trees with plenty of branches, the ground mostly clear but with plenty of bushes and undergrowth. It didn't take long to find a near perfect spot. For the rest of the day, the three young shinobi fortified their new home base, resting in shifts that night in the branches of the trees.

The next morning, over a breakfast consisting of a squirrel unfortunate enough to be spotted among the bushes of their hideout. Team seven talked plans. In total, they knew, thirty two teams had passed the initial stage. That meant sixteen heaven scrolls. At a guess, from their brief stroll around the perimeter, the training ground was a rough circle, around ten kilometers across. Sakura proposed that, moving slowly enough to remain wary of traps, a decent team could move at a speed of two kilometers an hour, and be noticeable from one hundred meters away. Using basic mathematics, Sakura figured that the training ground had roughly seventy five square kilometers, and, given that probably only half of the groups would be mobile, assuming an even distribution of teams with heaven scrolls, it could take three to four days for a group with a heaven scroll to wonder into their trap, and that was if any of them lasted that long. Simply waiting to trap another Genin team was not viable. Their odds of crossing another team with a heaven scroll was higher if they went on the offensive, but that opened them up to playing with a disadvantage, walking into enemy traps and territory. It was a question of risk versus reward. After some discussion, they reached a consensus, agreeing to wait out the first few days in their own turf, then go on the offensive in the latter half, when other teams would be less likely to be laying in wait, and those who had been mobile would not be as well rested.

The next two days passed painfully slowly.

* * *

 **Kosuke:**

The old man moved through the treetops with his companions in silence, making good speed as they watched for traps. It was Kosuke's alertness, searching as he was for traps, that saved him. The sand was fast moving, and struck the branch on which he had stood but a moment before, stripping it of its bark and leaving the wood polished to a mirror-like shine. Kosuke saw them now, a group of ninja on the forest floor. The attacker, a red haired boy, seemed to be the leader, by the deference… no, that wasn't quite right, the fear, with which the other two watched him. Kosuke dropped to the floor, his teammates following close behind.

"Good first strike," he complimented the red haired boy amicably. "But an ambush often needs more of a follow up. What's your scroll type? We're a heaven scroll group." Kosuke pulled out his scroll to show the boy.

"Gaara," said one of the boy's companions, a blonde haired girl, nervously. "They have our scroll type. There's no reason to fight them."

When the red headed boy spoke, it was a quiet thing, his voice rasping as though he had just finished shouting himself hoarse.

"But Temari… I haven't fed mother in ages… she's so hungry, Temari." It almost sounded like the boy was pleading with his teammate.

"We can find someone else." Said the third ninja firmly, a purple faced boy who stared at Haku.

"But she's… she's so hungry!" The redhead pleaded, his voice rising in pitch, becoming manic. "Please stop shouting at me!" The boy clutched his head as a wave of sand rose from his feet, launching itself in long tendrils at Kosuke's team. It was fast. Kosuke and Haku were faster, and where they dodged, Kimimaro had the capacity to block.

Kosuke needed to end this quickly, the boy was clearly hysterical. Perhaps it was the exam. The forest could do that sometimes. Utilizing all his speed, Kosuke moved behind the panicked boy. Retrieving a small needle from his belt, he jabbed it towards the youth's neck. The sand rose, unbidden, to resist. Kosuke struck with his free hand, pushing the barrier aside, and jabbed again at the boy's neck. This time, the needle met skin. Kosuke leaped back as quickly as he dared, waiting for the paralytic to take effect. After a few moments, the boy crumpled. Kimimaro and Haku wisely maintained a safe distance, as for some reason, even without a mobile host, the sand continued to attack. The boy's teammates retreated into the treeline.

"What did you do to him?!" The blonde girl screamed at Kosuke.

"I administered a low grade paralytic," Kosuke replied. "It should wear off in a day or two. For the moment, though, I recommend you try and get a scroll on your own. Please tell me that sand has a maximum range."

"Without him controlling it?" The boy answered. "It shouldn't get more than thirty or so feet from him. It doesn't like to stray very far. Just promise me that your poison won't put Gaara to sleep."

"Not unless he falls asleep on his own," Kosuke replied. "I considered a tranquilizer, but I didn't want to risk an adverse reaction." He dropped from his position, walking just outside the supposed maximum range of the sand, and produced a small role of tape from his pouch. "I'm going to cordon off the area until the boy calms down. My apologies for inconveniencing you."

"Don't apologize," said the blonde girl. "You just made a serious enemy."

The old man nodded. His teammates worked alongside him in cordoning off the little clearing, and the three made their leave.

"Have you ever seen a jutsu like that?" Haku asked as they moved once more through the trees.

Kosuke shook his head.

"Never seen anything like it. That drug is supposed to disrupt chakra flow and control. How in god's name was that sand still moving?" The three pondered this as they moved, hunting into the night.

* * *

 **AN: That was an interesting thing to write. Strategic cheating is a fun little brain teaser. Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed. Feel free to review. Bye! :D**


	24. Chapter 24: Chunin exams, Part 2

**AN: Nothing to see here, let's get started. On with the fic.**

* * *

 **Sakura:**

The plan had not gone smoothly. After waiting out the first two days of the test in their fortified campsite, team seven had agreed to go on the offensive, searching for opposing teams. They had employed the same strategy they had used when protecting Tazuna, letting a trio of clones move ahead of them through the forest while they followed behind at a safe distance. Sasuke's clone had been the first to vanish, puffing into smoke as the dark haired boy clutched at his ears, screaming in pain, before falling from his perch on a tree branch and down towards the ground below. Naruto launched himself after the falling boy, barely catching him in time, and setting him down on the ground. Sasuke wretched, heaving the contents of his stomach over the forest floor, still clinging desperately to his ears.

"The funny thing about clones," said a quiet voice. "Is that they don't weigh very much at all, so you can tell they aren't real by the sound they make when they move around." A figure emerged from the tree line, wearing a cloak of white fur, his headband emblazoned with a single musical quaver. He turned to Sasuke. "How do you like my echo speaker?" He asked, raising his arm, seemingly covered in a strange, metal gauntlet. "It does wonderful things to the inner ear, you know."

Sound ninja. Sakura felt a cold dread. The fight hadn't even started and Sasuke was down. She took some cotton wool from her satchel, bundling it up and stuffing it into her ears, before dropping to the floor between Sasuke and the figure. She had to deal with that gauntlet. Sakura lunged forward, making it nearly half way before the figure's teammates stopped her, a teenage boy dropping from the trees to hold her from behind, while a girl stepped forward to pluck the buds from her ears.

"Nice try little girl, but you aren't the first to think of tha-" was as far as the girl got before Naruto made his move.

"Wind style: Dervish Jutsu!"

Unseen by Sakura, a swarm of small pockets of condensed air rocketed forwards. The great thing about wind jutsu in normal circumstances, Sakura realised, was that they were virtually invisible, making them damn near impossible to dodge. Unfortunately, that didn't work so well on ninja who worked by sound. As it was, the jutsu only hit one ninja, and it hit him only because he was busy holding Sakura. The boy gave a grunt of pain, his grip loosening marginally as a projectile struck him in the back, hard. Sakura twisted under his grip, pulling herself free. Then, utilizing all her advanced training in the martial arts, she kicked him in the groin with all the force she could muster. The sound ninja doubled over, his eyes going wide with pain. For added certainty, Sakura dealt a short blow to the back of his head with the hilt of her kunai.

The two remaining sound ninja wasted no time in their response, the man with his dangerous gauntlet launching himself for Naruto. The girl came at Sakura with a knife. As she moved her own up to block, the sound kunoichi raised a bell between herself and Sakura. There was a ringing sound, one that seemed to Sakura as if it came from some distance away. She snorted. Kakashi had trained her in genjutsu, and this girl wasn't even being subtle. She leaped back to gain some ground, raising her hands in the familiar seal of the dispel technique. The sound girl gave a dark smile as a gauntlet clad fist shot past Sakura's head from behind. The sound it made was terrible, no less so for the fact that she was prepared. The pink haired girl dropped to her knees. It took all her effort not to vomit.

* * *

 **Naruto:**

It was down to just him now, and two sound ninja still stood. Naruto had very few options left.

"You know," Said the gauntlet man softly. "We were told to expect so much from Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Namikaze. The best of the best, they said. Are you as disappointed as I am, Kin?"

"Wow, Dosu," the girl replied with a smile, the two spreading out to surround him. "I really am. Let's finish this."

Naruto prepared himself. He had no plan, no strategy, nothing up his sleeve except his taijutsu. He drew a kunai, ready to fight.

"Leaf hurricane!"

A lot of things happened very quickly, the first and most salient of which was that a young figure dressed in a green jumpsuit launched himself from the nearby tree line, catching the one who called himself Dosu around the middle with a fearsome spinning kick. The man was launched backwards, landing in a heap on the ground some distance away. At near the exact same moment, a white robed figure dropped from the trees, landing in front of the female ninja. She had barely even begun to react when he began his attack, if it could be called such. He didn't strike her. For all the world, it looked as if he was merely prodding her rapidly. Naruto winced, he had sparred with Hinata often enough to recognize the gentle fist. The girl took a half step back, legs shaking, before she collapsed to the ground.

"Well executed, Lee," the white robed boy said quietly. "Although you really shouldn't have shouted." He turned to Naruto, holding out his hand. "Naruto Namikaze, my name is Neji Hyuga. I wanted to thank you for what you said to my cousin the other day. Hinata should find it easier to move on now. After this little rescue, I hope you will consider us even." Naruto nodded mutely. "Good. Now then, what type of scroll does your team carry?"

"Earth." Naruto admitted. If they wanted his teams scroll, there was nothing he could do to stop them.

Neji nodded.

"We carry a heaven scroll ourselves. As we are in an exam environment, I will unfortunately be taking your scroll from you. Although, you may feel free to replace it with theirs, if you wish." He pointed at Dosu, halfway through attempting to stand. Naruto nodded again, moving towards Sasuke and pulling their earth scroll from his pouch. Neji stepped forward and took it, the green clad boy stepped over to Dosu, pushing him back to the floor slowly and delivering a quick, sharp strike to the man's jaw to incapacitate him, before kneeling down to search him.

"Hey, this one has two scrolls!" Lee called over. "I suppose both teams get a pair."

"Well this was very tidy," said a third newcomer, a girl who Naruto assumed to be the last member of Neji's team. "Shall we be off then, boys?" Her companions nodded, Neji moving forward to shake Naruto's hand before they departed.

Naruto watched them leave in semi stunned silence. Whoever they were, those guys were impressive. He looked over at the prone sound ninja. It did beg the question, why attack them if their team already had both scrolls?

Naruto worked quickly, approaching the unconscious Dosu. He wouldn't steal the gauntlet, he doubted the exam monitors would let him keep it, but it was very dangerous. Naruto spent a good five minutes doing as many things as he could think of to damage the device, taking care not to let it vibrate, before gathering his unsteady teammates and helping them travel a short distance to relative safety. It was sheer luck that whatever Dosu had done, it didn't seem to have lasting effects. The others were near recovered by nightfall. The day had not gone well, and the team was shaken.

Sasuke took the first watch.

* * *

 **Day four, Sasuke:**

The team made their way back to their territory, deciding to wait out the last day in relative safety before heading for the tower in the morning. As they sat on their perches, waiting out the day, the three had a very tense discussion.

"They kicked our butts," said Sakura miserably. "Were we just unlucky, or is this how strong all the other Chunin candidates are?"

"I don't know," muttered Sasuke, poking at the branch beneath him with a loose twig. "I don't think they're all that strong. Besides, it was really just that Dosu guy that got us, and he had that arm thing. I don't think we're as bad as it seems."

"Really?" Sakura asked, beginning to list off names. "Dozu, Haku's group, those guys that saved us. Have we run into anyone yet who we could beat in a fair fight?"

"I'm actually pretty sure we could have taken Dozu's group in a fair contest," Naruto said with a small shrug. "They got the jump on us, it happens."

"Indeed it does," murmured a female voice from somewhere behind Sasuke. "Although that does not mean you shouldn't be focused on getting stronger."

Before the figure even finished speaking, Sasuke and the others spun around, raising their weapons defensively. Whoever this person was, they were stealthier than anyone Sasuke had ever encountered.

The unknown ninja raised her hands in a placatory gesture.

"Now now, I'm not here to cause any trouble. If I was, my first move would not have been to talk to you like this."

As surreptitiously as she could, Sakura made the hand sign for the dispel technique. The woman smiled. It was a strange smile, it did not reach her eyes.

"A good thought, child. But no, I am quite real. There is no genjutsu in play here. I am here, children, to offer my assistance. I have heard that you two boys have someone you would rather like to kill. I can assist with that."

The three children stiffened.

"Just who are you?" Sasuke asked quietly, his blade still poised before him. "And why do you want Itachi dead?"

The pale woman smiled, leaning against the trunk of the tree.

"My name, Sasuke, is Orochimaru, and your brother nearly killed me once. I would rather not let him try again."

Sakura recognized the name.

"Lady Tsunade's old teammate? The one who killed all those people?"

"Yes," Orichimaru laughed. "That was me."

"Hang on," Naruto said, confused. "I thought you were a man."

The woman let out another amused chuckle.

"That, dear boy, can be a little flexible where I'm concerned. But you're quite right, the face I'm wearing right now is just a disguise."

"Okay…" Sasuke muttered. "How do you intend to help us?"

Orochimaru shrugged.

"Well, first and foremost, I intend to teach you. Better techniques, hidden jutsu, things you would need to fight someone like Itachi. Even one or two things the leaf village has been hiding from you. That sort of help."

"…Fine," Naruto murmured after some hesitation. "I'll bite. What has the leaf village hidden from us?"

Orochimaru looked at the blonde boy with a sigh, then stepped forward, slapping the kunai from Sasuke's hand in a single fluid motion before planting a fist in the boy's gut. Sasuke let out a gasp of pain, his body bending around the enemy ninja's fist. Naruto and Sakura moved to respond, but before they could even make the most basic of retaliations, Orochimaru raised his other hand and murmured:

"Snake prison jutsu."

His arm seemed to melt, losing its form and substance, before reshaping into a compressed mass of writhing snakes. The serpents lunged forwards, coiling themselves tightly around Naruto and Sakura, leaving them gasping for air.

Orochimaru held Sasuke by the throat, the boy struggling vainly to get free as snakes began to slither over the rest his body as well, binding him tightly. Once bound, Orochimaru threw Sasuke down next to the other two.

"Well, this was disappointing, you three aren't nearly where I had hoped you might be. I suppose all that remains is to clean up." He stepped towards the struggling children, picking up Sakura by the scruff of the neck. "Let's start with this one."

There was a scream. Sasuke wasn't sure where it was coming from. He was vaguely aware of his mouth moving, his lungs emptying, but his main focus was finding a way to protect Sakura. The boy struggled, fighting with all his might, but to no avail. Beside him, Naruto thrashed and kicked, fighting his bonds as tears streamed freely from his eyes. Where Sasuke was yelling, Naruto was begging. In all of this, Sakura was strangely quiet, her face set and pale in stark terror. Without ceremony, Orochimaru drove his hand through her chest.

The world went quiet and still. Sasuke saw, seemingly as if in slow motion, as Sakura fell to her knees before him. He watched every minuscule expression that crossed her face, saw her pain, her fear, each second stretching into a tortuous eternity. As the girl's limp form hit the ground, Sasuke watched Naruto rush forwards, his bonds tearing apart at the seams. He watched his brother lunge at Orochimaru, his body covered in a deep red light. For some reason, Sasuke could see the chakra flowing through and around the other boy's body, more clearly than he could even when he used his sharingan. He watched, with a numb sort of confusion, as the chakra inside his surrogate brother's body was expunged, replaced by more of that glowing red energy. It offered no assistance, Orochimaru forced Naruto back with a consummate ease, forcing him against the wall.

Before Naruto had time to recover, Orochimaru picked up Sakura's limp form and, with a flicker, brought her back, unconscious. Time seemed, gradually, to speed up again as the hole in Sakura's chest disappeared. With the return of time, Sasuke realized that he could once again make sense of the sounds all around him. Orochimaru was saying something.

"-aruto my dear boy, she's alive, it was an illusion. But if you continue, she dies properly." Orochimaru said, quite calmly. Naruto stayed rooted to the spot, not moving forwards, not attacking, his teeth clenched in a growl.

"N-Naruto," Sasuke asked quietly. "How are you doing that?"

Orochimaru smiled.

"And this, dear children, is one of the secrets the leaf village hid from you. Naruto here, is what we call a jinchuuriki."

Sasuke stared at his sibling, still covered in that deep layer of glowing red chakra.

"Naruto," Orochimaru continued. "I need you to listen very closely now. When you attacked me just now, you probably heard some kind of voice talking to you."

"It's still there," Naruto said, his voice filled with venom. "It's telling me to kill you."

"Yes," Said Orochimaru calmly. "That sounds about right. That, Naruto, is the voice of the Kyuubi, a beast of incredible power, one that the ancient fathers of the leaf village were able to trap within the bodies of mortal beings. I want you to remember how it feels to talk to that voice, Naruto. I want you to remember where it lives inside you. That is where this power you are feeling lies, that is where you go to get more. Do you understand me?"

"I will kill you." Naruto replied coldly.

Orochimaru gave a long sigh.

"Do as I say or I will kill your friend, and this time, it won't be a trick."

Naruto hesitated, his hands clenching and unclenching as he fought against the instinct to kill.

"…Fine." He said, after a long pause.

"Good, we're making progress," Said Orochimaru with a smile. "As for you Sasuke, when you thought I had killed your darling little girlfriend, did time seem to slow at all?" Numbly, Sasuke nodded. "Good. That, dear boy, was because your sharingan, the Kekkei Genkai of the Uchiha clan, becomes stronger when it's owner feels a strong emotion, like that of losing someone you care deeply about. You see? I have revealed a secret and made the young Uchiha far stronger, just in the span of a few minutes. Imagine what I could accomplish as your teacher were I given a year."

"You…" Sasuke breathed, struggling with a hundred different emotions. "You did all that, just to make me and Naruto stronger?"

"Indeed," Orochimaru nodded. "I can make you stronger than anyone in the leaf can, and I can do that, children, because unlike them, I am not afraid to hurt you. That is what you need if you wish to surpass Itachi."

Sasuke swallowed, the snakes coiled around him beginning to unfurl, moving back along the great branch towards their master. Beside him, gradually, the red mist surrounding Naruto began to fade, the blonde boy seeming to simply deflate, crumpling into a hunched sitting position beside him. The look on his face was horrified.

"It... it says it killed my parents," he said in a whisper, his voice tinted with horrified revulsion. "It's… laughing at me."

Orochimaru gazed at the blonde boy calculatingly as he sat there, shocked.

"Consider what I have said, and what the leaf has hidden from you," he said softly. "One of my subordinates will provide you with information on how to contact me in the near future. If you accept, arrangements will be made for your extraction. I am even willing to train the girl," he gave Sakura a small shake. "If I must." He slowly lowered Sakura to the floor. "Now, see to your friend and be careful what you say to her. She will not remember what happened here. Memory manipulation is a hobby of mine. I look forward to seeing you soon." With that, the pale ninja vanished.

The two boys stared at one another, breathing heavily.

"So…" Naruto said quietly, gazing at Sasuke, his eyes wide and glassy. "I guess I'm a monster, huh?" A single tear ran slowly down the blonde boy's cheek.

Sasuke said nothing. He wanted to console his sibling, but for once, he had absolutely no idea what to say.

* * *

 **AN: for those of you who are wondering, Orochimaru did not give Sasuke the curse mark because he hasn't figured curse marks out yet. In the cannon, Orochimaru was able to figure out the curse mark because he worked on Jugo, a friend of his subordinate, Kimimaro. But in this version, Kimimaro joined Zabuza, and thus never befriended Jugo, so Orochimaru had to do his work without that particular shortcut.**


	25. Chapter 25: Speaking with a beast Part 1

**AN: Hey guys. Wow, I published over eight thousand words today. I think that's pretty neat. On with the fic.**

* * *

 **Day 5, Sakura:**

The three Genin made their way in silence towards the central tower. Ever since she had awoken that morning, Sakura had known something was wrong. Sasuke and Naruto had both already been awake, and were she to guess, judging by the bags under their eyes, neither boy had slept at all. When Sakura had questioned them about it, Sasuke had told her quite firmly that Naruto was having nightmares. Sakura didn't know what was going on with them and it worried her. Naruto had not spoken a word all morning. The three of them arrived at the tower by seven in the morning without incident, inserting both of their scrolls in one of two small slots with the corresponding marks by the entrance. When both scrolls were inserted, the door swung open and the three of them walked inside.

They found themselves in a large room with a flat, tiled floor. Staircases on either side led up to a viewing balcony. Sakura assumed the room must have been for practice drills or combat sessions back when the building was used regularly. A large statue stood at the far end.

Several people were there already, including Haku, Kosuke and Kimimaro. After taking a single look at Naruto, Haku had bolted upright from her seat against the wall, and ran towards the blonde boy.

"Naruto! Hey, are you okay?"

* * *

 **Naruto:**

The voice had spent the night taunting him continually, stopping only occasionally to let out short bursts of bitter laughter. It had begun by telling him in detail how it had killed his parents, driving a single, wide talon through their chests. It told him how they had jumped in front of the blow to save him. It had laughed at him while he cried, and when he had no more tears to shed, it had berated him, its tone changing on a dime from grim amusement at his inadequacy to dark fury as it roared inside his head at the gall of his village for sealing it. After hours upon hours of bitter fury, it had seemed to run out of rage, or perhaps he was simply too emotionally exhausted at the moment to entertain it anymore, because it had eventually lapsed into a restless silence. It now spoke only occasionally, just enough to never let Naruto forget that it was there, inside him. All he felt was a cold revulsion. He wanted this thing that had slaughtered his family out of him.

"Naruto! Hey, are you okay?" Naruto looked up, hardly aware what was going on around him. It was Haku, the girl's beautiful face was drawn tight with concern. Naruto wasn't sure what else to do, he took a small step forwards, leaning himself against the girl, his body sagging. Haku let out a small breath in surprise, but lifted her hands around Naruto, supporting him and carrying him back to the spot where she sat with Kimimaro and Kosuke. Naruto sat down, empty. Haku sat beside him and held him close. Neither child spoke. Neither had any conception of what to say.

They sat in silence together for the remaining hours until the end of the second phase. In that stillness, Naruto collected himself just enough to ask a single, childish question of the creature in the void.

 _Why do you hate me?_ The question was met with bitter laughter, but no answer came. Eventually, Naruto fell asleep in Haku's arms.

* * *

Naruto roused slowly. The girl beside him shaking him gently awake. The blonde boy opened his eyes. He was still where he had been when he fell asleep, except the room was somewhat more crowded now, filled with many more of the surviving Genin teams and, he noticed, one or two Jonin sensei, including Kakashi. Naruto sat upright, feeling just a little more alive after his few hours sleep. He felt he had regained some small fraction of the vitality that the beast had spent the night stripping from him.

"It's about to end." Haku said gently beside Naruto, pointing to a small clock on the wall. Thirty seconds to midday. The test was nearly over. He mustered some of the energy he had regained to give Haku a small smile.

"Thanks for helping me sleep, Haku, I needed that."

The dark haired girl blushed slightly, and returned the smile.

"It's… no problem," she replied, slightly embarrassed. Naruto leaned in and pressed his lips gently against Haku's, kissing her for the first time. He broke away after a few seconds.

"I mean it Haku, thank you." Before Haku had time to reply, a loud bell rang out. What conversation there had been in the room fell silent.

With a slam, Anko Mitarashi burst through the heavy doors on one side of the room.

"Congratulations, candidates," she said with only the barest hint of sarcasm. "You all did very well. So well in fact that there are more than twice as many of you left than we had expected. Because of this, we unfortunately need to thin the herd." There was a collective groan from the assembled Genin. "Now now," she chided, waggling a finger at them. "It's no fun if you act like that. Now, there are eight surviving teams. Twenty four candidates. We need there to be a maximum of twelve, so, pretty straightforward answer. Every Genin in this room will be selected at random to face off against another randomly selected Genin in combat. You may use whatever ninja tools you normally use, but nothing else, and our selections will re roll if any of you are paired with a teammate, so no partners against partners for this phase. Sound good?" There was no response. "Excellent! Let's get started then. All candidates and instructors, clear the floor. You can observe from the balconies."

Moving slowly, most of them exhausted from their five day stint in the wilderness, the eight teams and their instructors gradually climbed the stairs to the balconies.

"Well, no time like the present," said Anko in a chipper tone. She pulled a small metal object from a pocket, flicking at the screen a few times. Words began to flicker across the small screen. "First combatants are… Shino Aburame versus Neji Hyuga."

There was a quiet murmur of expectation as the two combatants climbed down into the training zone. Naruto knew Shino, he was one of the boys who occasionally came to hang out with him and Shikamaru. He was a quiet boy, but he always seemed to get along well with Sasuke. Naruto felt rather sorry about that; Neji was going to make mincemeat out of him.

The battle did not last long. Shino raised his arms in preparation, bugs gathering along his skin, but before he could do anything, Neji was upon him. To his credit, Shino did try to defend, but his taijutsu had never been good, and he was fighting a gentle fist expert. The hooded boy fell. Neji walked quietly back up to the stands as though nothing had happened.

Anko returned to the floor as Shino was carried quietly from the room, his injuries not particularly severe. It seemed Neji had aimed to incapacitate. She tapped her device again, watching the characters roll by.

"Second fight, Dosu Kinuta versus Gaara of the sand."

Naruto felt the beast inside him stir slightly as he watched the red haired boy climb down to the combat floor, apparently facing off against the gauntlet shinobi who had made Sakura and Sasuke so ill the previous day.

 ** _Shukaku…_** he felt the voice inside him murmur.

 _So you're speaking again?_ Naruto asked the beast, finding he couldn't muster much more than a detached curiosity towards the thing.

 ** _I will speak whenever I wish to, boy._** The creature responded, its tone similarly tired, perhaps it was just as emotionally spent as he was right now. Naruto sighed.

 _Fine, I'll bite,_ he responded. _What's Shukaku?_

Below him, the sound ninja took up a fighting stance. The red headed boy didn't move, standing there with arms folded.

 ** _Shukaku is a tailed beast like myself, albeit weaker, although weak is a relative term, he is still a being of tremendous power._**

The sound ninja moved first, dashing forwards and swinging his gauntlet covered arm around himself in a wide arc. Didn't he know that Naruto had broken it? The device emitted a keening wail, unpleasant, but no one nearby was brought to their knees. The ninja had to quickly leap backwards as a whip-like tendril of sand extended from the gourd upon the redheaded boy's back.

 _So I'm not the only jinchuriki out there?_ Naruto said quietly to the beast.

 ** _Not even close,_** the Kyuubi answered, its voice taking on a trace of the rage it had vented upon Naruto in the hours previously. **_You humans have enslaved more than half of my kind to your whims._**

Naruto watched the fight with vague interest, Dosu was surprisingly fast, but Gaara's sand was extraordinary. It moved without the boy giving any visible command. This other jinchuuriki hadn't even moved, and he had Dosu on the run. Then the red headed boy spoke.

"Please stop moving," he said quietly. "She wants me to kill you."

The Kyuubi let out a humorless laugh.

 ** _Did you catch that, boy? That right there is why I hate your race, Shukaku always did have a warped sense of humor._**

 _What do you mean?_ Naruto asked the demon, honestly curious for the first time since he had awoken.

There was silence within Naruto for a short while as the beast presumably pondered its response. Down on the floor, Gaara's requests became somewhat more urgent.

"Please! Stop moving. Mother is so angry with me!"

 ** _Shukaku is a sadist,_** the beast said eventually. **_Like me, he was furious with the humans for imprisoning him, and he decided to take out his rage on the one target he had available, his jinchuuriki. He takes great pride in driving his hosts slowly mad. Did you know boy, I have a rather unique skill. I can sense emotions, some more strongly than others, such as the desire to kill. Do you know what I sense from that boy there as he begs his foe to let himself be murdered?_**

Naruto shook his head, watching the sound ninja fleeing the sand like a mouse being chased by a cat. He was beginning to understand where the beast was going with this, and the idea appalled him.

 ** _Loneliness,_** The Kyuubi answered. **_There isn't a shred of killing intent anywhere in him. As I understand it, Shukaku has the boy convinced that the voice commanding him to kill is his mother, who died giving birth to him. You asked earlier why I hate you. That boy, Naruto Namikaze, is exactly what your kind has done to mine. An innocent forced to be an instrument of death. A slave to the whims of others._** The voice in Naruto's head did not sound angry. Rather, it sounded deeply, terribly bitter.

 _And you laughed at him,_ Naruto accused the thing, filling the thought with all the venom he could muster. _You fucking hypocrite._ The beast fell silent. Naruto stood, pulling himself up from his seat against the railing. _I'm going to help that boy, monster, and if you don't help me do it, I'll die, and you'll have proved yourself just as bad as the people who imprisoned you, because you let your friend torture an infant into a killing machine._

The sand finally caught up with Dosu, wrapping itself around his leg. He let out a gasp of pain and threw his hands in the air.

"I submit!" He shouted. The sand did not slow, creeping up Dosu's leg. Several Jonin moved to intervene, but Naruto had already vaulted the railing. He landed on the tendril of sand, making the necessary hand signs.

"Wind style: Dervish jutsu."

The pockets of air blasted into the sand that held the fallen ninja, disturbing it just enough to allow Dosu to free himself. The sand rose around Naruto, moving in to crush him, and he stepped forward into it. The sand was less than an inch from his face when the Kyuubi apparently made up its mind. A wall of red surrounded Naruto, thicker than before, brighter. He felt something moving behind him.

 _I have a tail._ He realized with mild surprise as he moved into contact with the sand. The tail whipped up before Naruto, forming into a vague hand like shape that grasped hold of the oncoming sand and simply pushed it aside. Naruto strode forwards towards the broken jinchuuriki, walking blindly through a barrage of sand that quite simply failed to touch him. After a few tense seconds, Naruto stood face to face with the red headed boy. He reached out and grasped the other boy by the shoulder.

"You don't have to do what she says, you know?" Naruto said gently. He had not planned for this part, and so had simply said the first thing that came to mind.

It didn't matter. Gaara didn't respond. He was preoccupied, staring down at Naruto's hand on his shoulder. Quite unexpectedly, the young sand shinobi began to cry; heavy, broken sobs.

 ** _You know,_** the voice of the Kyuubi mused quietly inside Naruto. **_I'd be willing to bet that this is the first time he's ever been able to touch someone._**

Naruto went pale. Just how cruel had the Shukaku been to this boy? Naruto pulled Gaara into a hug, wrapping his arms tightly around the other boy. The redhead wept unrestrainedly into Naruto's shoulder as the sand continued to try and kill him, fended off by the Kyuubi's chakra.

Naruto glanced behind him. The entire room was staring, some with horror, some with amazement. Several Jonin, including, he noticed, Kakashi, had stopped in their tracks at the spectacle. Naruto wondered absently how this looked to them; a boy surrounded by a field of glowing red, hugging a weeping stranger who was desperately trying to kill him. Naruto saw that Gaara's teammates, Temari and Kankuro, both had tears in their eyes. Their instructor looked utterly shocked. Naruto ignored them all. There would likely be questions to answer in the near future, but for now, he would do what he could to console the boy. He picked Gaara up by the waist, carrying the boy up the stairs to his teammates.

"You guys probably care about him much more than I do," Naruto murmured. "If you want to hold his hand, or maybe give him a hug or something, my chakra should be able to protect you." Inside him, Naruto felt the Kyuubi give a hesitant nod. Naruto beckoned Gaara's teammates over to him, and together, they comforted the weeping boy under the continuous deluge of attacking sand.

* * *

 **AN: I think this is my most feel based chapter so far. It was interesting to write. As always, thanks for reading and feel free to review and prop up my fragile sense of self-esteem. Bye! :P**


	26. Chapter 26: Speaking with a beast Part 2

**AN: Hey guys, nothing to see here, on with the fic? On with the fic!**

 **Sakura Haruno:**

Sakura stared openly at the absurd display, as did almost everyone else in the room. Although, she noted absently, both Sasuke and Kakashi sensei seemed far less surprised than everyone else did. What in god's name was that jutsu? How and where had Naruto learned it? He hadn't even used hand signs.

After a few minutes, the proctor stopped staring long enough to remember her job. "Uhh… right." She pulled the device from her pocket once more, waiting as the device generated the next result. "Next fight, Sakura Haruno versus Kin Tsuchi."

Numbly, Sakura stood, glancing over at her opponent, she recognized her, the sound ninja who had tried to use a genjutsu against her. Sakura was momentarily diverted from whatever was going on with her teammate, here and now, just for this brief moment, she decided to forget about everything going on with her friends, her team and her life. For the next five minutes, Sakura decided, it was payback time. She moved towards the steps, skirting gingerly around the spot where Gaara's sand was still vainly trying to attack her teammate. She made her way down to the ground level. Kin followed suit and stood facing her.

"Ready," Said Anko, raising a hand before swiping it down between the two kunoichi "Start!"

Neither girl moved, not right away. For several seconds, all was silence as the two combatants sized up the other, then, with a confident smirk, Kin made the first move. The dark haired girl dashed forwards, reaching behind herself to pick two handfuls of senbon out of her pouch, she launched them at Sakura just as the other girl threw herself to the ground. The needles missed the top of Sakura's head by inches, landing behind her with a faint tinkling sound, then, the other girl was upon her, capitalizing on Sakura's low to the ground position to plant a hard kick to her side. Sakura let herself roll with the impact, her teeth gritted against the pain and began making hand signs. As she came up, a few metres away from her foe, Sakura activated her technique.

"Clone Jutsu." She said quietly, as, with a puff of smoke, three perfect duplicates burst into existence.

Kin laughed. "Way too basic, little girl, no one's falling for that." She tapped her ear. "I'm a sound ninja, remember? Even if you can hide yourself, I can still hear the real you.

Sakura shrugged, smiling, the three clones launched themselves at the sound kunoichi, dispelling themselves as one, covering the dark haired girl in a cloud of smoke for just a moment. Sakura wasted no time, preparing her next set of hand signs. First snake, then rat. This would be Sakura's first time using genjutsu in combat, she said a small prayer to herself as she cast it.

 _Demonic illusion: Hell viewing technique._

Before the smoke had a chance to clear, Kin threw herself to the side, looking around. She shook her head, momentarily disoriented, before giving Sakura a winning smile. "Whatever that smoke was meant to do little girl, it failed."

Sakura waited, she had done everything perfectly, even going so far as to obstruct the targets vision to render them more vulnerable to the jutsu. Kin reached behind her, readying a second set of senbon, before she had a chance to throw, some unseen horror caught her eye.

 **Kin Tsuchi.**

This was almost insultingly easy, Kin had been warned to be wary of team seven, warned that they were supposed to be the best. But here she was fighting a little girl, this kid didn't even have any real jutsu, just some pathetic academy techniques. Kin grinned, she was not going to let herself fail against a foe like this, not with Lord Orochimaru counting on her. Kin drew her blades and prepared herself to deal the final blow to this foolish girl, wondering how much she could get away with in terms of injuries.

There was a colossal crashing sound as the side wall of the building collapsed, crushed under the weight of a colossal snake, Lord Orochimaru rode upon its head. Kin stared up at her master in shock, this wasn't how the mission was supposed to go, the attack wasn't scheduled for another month. From atop his great steed, Orochimaru reached out to her, a panicked expression on his face

"Kin! With me, hurry! We must get out of here!"

Kin stood rooted to the spot, stunned. "M-my lord?" She asked, confused.

"Hurry!" Lord Orochimaru screamed at her. "We must go no-" through the hole in the wall, a great bolt of lightning struck Orochimaru from behind, as if in slow motion, Kin watched her master's face go slack, his eyes rolling back into his head.

Kin fell to her knees as her master toppled, hitting the ground with a dull thud. "Master Orochimaru!" She wailed in despair, tears running freely down her face. This was wrong, it had to be, something had to be- the realization hit her. Still kneeling on the ground, Kin slowly raised her hands to her chest in the dispelling technique.

"Dispel," She said in a choked whisper.

At once, the horrifying scene before Kin faded away, replaced by an entirely different one. The pink haired girl stood, shocked, some distance away, all around her, however, the Jonin instructors held blades to her throat and wrists.

"Please," Said a silver haired man in a flak jacket in a voice of deadly calm "Tell us some more about your master, what did you say his name was?"

 **Sakura Haruno:**

Sakura watched the proceedings with a confused amazement, the feeling of the room had changed so rapidly. As her jutsu had taken effect, Sakura had strode across to the other girl, placing a kunai under her chin.

"I win?" She had asked the proctor politely.

Anko had nodded, smiling.

Just as Sakura had been about to dispel the technique, the girl had fallen to her knees, Sakura barely managing to get her kunai away from her throat in time, before yelling out in a voice of unrestrained anguish. "Lord Orochimaru!"

The next thing Sakura knew, Anko seized her by the shoulder and pulled her away from the other girl, the teachers descending all around them, the one remaining sound shinobi tried to run, but Rock Lee had blocked his path, the boy raised his hands, small nozzles embedded in his palms pointed at Lee. Before the sound ninja had any time to use a technique, Lee grabbed him by the wrists, wrenching his arms apart and thrusting his knee into the older boy's gut. Lee held the boy down while a Jonin, a tall man who looked like a scaled up duplicate of Lee, moved in to restrain the sound ninja.

Sakura was deeply confused, didn't she know the name Orochimaru from somewhere? Hadn't he been one of the sannin? Oh god, she remembered now. Orochimaru had been the one who went bad. She shivered a little, just what was going on?

 **AN: Writing from Sakura's perspective is haaard :( Oh well, thanks for reading, feel free to review, comment, yada yada. Bye :D**


	27. Chapter 27: Speaking with a beast Part 3

**AN: Ok, so I recently read some of the reviews you guys gave me and, to summarize, you guys are awesome. On with the fic.**

 **Naruto:**

There was something going on outside of the wall of chakra, although no one within was paying very much attention.

Gaara had stopped crying, Naruto wasn't sure if he had simply run out of tears or had managed to calm down slightly. He suspected the former, however, as the red headed boy was still occasionally making quiet whimpering sounds. Naruto sat with a hand on the boy's knee while Temari and Kankuro hugged him from either side. The blonde boy decided that, for the moment, this was enough to help Gaara, and that he should probably do something about damage control.

"Hey," he spoke quietly, trying to inject a false note of strain into his voice. "I'm sorry to do this, but I'm nearly out of chakra, my jutsu's about to fail." Kankuro and Temari nodded sadly, standing up, the blonde girl pausing to plant a small kiss on Gaara's forehead.

The red head gazed up at the blonde with a look of desperation in his eyes. "Please… Just a few more minutes." The way he said it was painful for Naruto to see, his longing so very exposed.

"I can't, Gaara," Naruto lied. "I'm sorry, if I use any more chakra, I won't have anything left for my fight." The lie hurt Naruto to tell, but he had to feign weakness. Better for everyone to think this was some kind of jutsu than to know what he had inside him.

"…Mother says you're lying," Gaara said quietly, his voice not accusing, but reproachful.

Naruto hesitated, then sighed. "I'm sorry Gaara, if you like though, we can do this again tomorrow, okay?"

Gaara looked up at him, his eyes alight with an almost pleading hope. "Really? You promise?"

 _Well?_ Naruto asked, directing the thought to the Kyuubi. _The answer depends on you._

The beast was silent for a few moments. Were Naruto to guess, he would have said the beast was thoughtful. **_…Fine, I will lend you my power to help this boy. You… had a point, I have wronged him._**

Naruto let out a breath of relief, and nodded. "Yes, Gaara, I promise. But in exchange, I want you to make a promise too." The two older Genin looked at Naruto, suspicious.

"Of course," Said the older boy. "I knew something this good couldn't be free."

Gaara gazed up at Naruto, his eyes still filled with that desperate hope. "W-what do you want me to do?"

Naruto hesitated, he knew Gaara's reaction to what he asked might undo all the good he had managed in the last few minutes, but he saw no other option. "I…" He swallowed, then tried again. "I want you to promise not to kill anyone Gaara, no matter how angry she gets. We can do this every single day you're in the village with me if you want, but only as long as you don't kill anyone."

The three sand ninja were utterly silent, Temari and Kankuro staring between Naruto and Gaara.

"But," the boy protested in a small voice. "But she'll make me be alone again, she's all I have." A war seemed to be going on within Gaara, a struggle between desperate hope, and terrible loneliness. He seemed almost torn in two.

"No Gaara," Naruto said gently. "You have these two now, and unlike before, they can be close to you, just like she can. Even when I'm gone, you can still talk to them." He looked up at the other two, and they nodded, Kankuro sniffled slightly and Temari, with some effort, managed to contain her expressed emotions to a very slightly quivering lip.

"Always," Kankuro said quietly.

Naruto took the other two by the arms and began to walk them away from Gaara, out of the sand. Once they were a safe distance away, the red haze surrounding them began to recede, pulling back within him. As the chakra faded, Naruto took care to suppress as much of his own chakra as he could, and allowed himself to stumble dramatically, falling forwards. Naruto felt two pairs of hands reach out to grab him around each shoulder before he hit the floor.

"You okay?" Temari asked, her voice filled with concern.

It was easy enough for Naruto to make himself look exhausted at that moment, emotionally drained and running on only a few hours sleep as he was. "Yeah…" Naruto said quietly. "Just… very tired."

Behind them, Gaara spoke, his sand finally beginning to recede now that there was no one close by. "I… I'll try." The red headed boy said quietly, sitting with his arms around his knees.

Naruto gave the boy a tired smile. "Tomorrow then. I'll tell your teammates where my house is."

As the two sand ninja half carried him back to his team, Naruto noted that far fewer people were staring at him than before. There seemed to be fewer Jonin around, and he couldn't see the sound ninja anywhere.

Gaara's teammates deposited him gently on the ground between Haku and Sasuke, both of whom eyed him worriedly.

"I have a lot I want to say," Kankuro spoke quietly. "But for the moment… I guess I'll just go with thank you, thanks for helping our brother."

Naruto nodded, the revelation that the three sand ninja were family only slightly surprising to him. "He's a good person," He replied. "Badly broken, but good."

"Yeah," Temari answered bitterly. "We know."

The two left, returning to their brother who, for his part, greeted them with a small, shy smile.

"So…" Haku spoke up. "Should we even ask what that was?"

"Red mist jutsu," Said Shikamaru as he approached. "Since when did you learn one of the fourth Hokage's barrier techniques?"

Naruto gave a small prayer of thanks to Shikamaru, the boy had thought up a better explanation than he ever could have. He smiled up at his friend. "Well, he was my dad you know, he left me a few scrolls to learn from." There were one or two murmurings of 'Ohh' from the ninja gathered around the room, hopefully the lie would be believed.

Shikamaru nodded as though in understanding. "Yeah, I guess that makes sense, still seems really unfair though."

Naruto shrugged, resting his head against the wall tiredly. "Them's the breaks, buddy." Naruto closed his eyes, feeling numb.

Inside him, the beast spoke, its tone contemplative. **_I don't get you, boy. Why would a human risk themselves to save a slave? Your species is rarely that kind._**

 _Maybe you don't know us as well as you think,_ Naruto responded tiredly. _From what I can tell, you've been angry for a long time. Angry people don't always make the best judgments. Or maybe I'm wrong, maybe we really are as bad as you think, either way, I didn't want to watch him suffer._

The Kyuubi considered this. **_I doubt it,_** it answered eventually. **_I have seen too much harm done by humans to say that my opinion of your kind is wrong, even if it is perhaps tinted by my personal rage. You though, you, I may have misjudged. I am willing to give you a chance, Naruto._**

The boy could not bring himself to truly feel angry, he was too tired. All he managed was a mild kind of annoyance. _And what if I don't want a chance from you? You're still the thing that killed my parents, Kyuubi._

There was a slight hesitation within him before the voice spoke again. **_…Kurama. My name is Kurama, Naruto. And for what it is worth… I am sorry I killed your parents. You cannot imagine what it is like, being without freedom for so long, I was desperate._**

Naruto chuckled. _It isn't worth much. Who knows, maybe I'll come to forgive you someday, but for now, I think I'll stick with anger. You can hardly fault me for that choice, can you, Kurama?_

There was a deep rumble inside Naruto's mind that he interpreted as a low chuckle. **_No, I suppose not. If you would like, some day, I can tell you a few stories of your mother. I knew her quite well._**

Naruto felt a small pang of loneliness in his gut, as much as he wanted to hate the creature, the offer sounded kind of nice. _That… that sounds good… Can you tell me her name Kurama? No one ever told me what it was._

 ** _…_** ** _Her name was Kushina, Kushina Uzumaki, and for the months that she bore you in her belly, she came to love you very dearly, Naruto._**

Naruto felt a small trail of liquid running down his cheek. _Thank you, Kurama._

Not long afterwards, Naruto felt himself drifting off to sleep.

 **Kurama:**

Somewhere, in a realm buried deep within the laws and systems of the world, the great fox strode forwards, awaiting the arrival of his kin. He didn't have to wait long.

 **"Why did you interfere, Kurama?"** Said Shukaku, materializing from the void behind him.

The nine tails turned to face the other. **"Because you need to stop, Shukaku. Tormenting that boy wins you nothing."**

 **"Why do you care?"** The tanuki asked. " **Why does it matter that I play with a few humans?"**

 **"Because it is no different than what the humans have done to us, it is only more cruel."**

 **"Don't tell me you've come to feel for the humans, have you? I didn't think you were so weak, Kurama."** Shukaku laughed.

Kurama shook his head. " **Know this Shukaku, if you continue to torment that boy, I will be your enemy. And unlike the humans, my wrath will not simply fade away with time."** He spoke not with anger, but with a force and gravity borne of utter truth.

Shukaku, for his part, hesitated, realizing for the first time just how serious Kurama was. **"…Why though? Why would you side with some human over your own brother?"**

Kurama did not hesitate with his reply. " **It is precisely because you are my brother that I must intervene Shukaku. As the greatest and the strongest of us, it is my duty to set my siblings straight when they stray, as a brother should."**

 **"Agreed,"** Rang out a third voice, it seemed Gyuki had joined them. **"I feel you are wrong to torment the boy, Shukaku,"** said the eight tails calmly.

Kurama gave his eight tailed brother an appreciative nod. " **You see, little brother? Both of your strongest brothers have come to tell you that you are wrong in this, heed us."**

 **"You really need to stop thinking having nine tails makes you the strongest."** Gyuki muttered in annoyance.

When Shukaku responded, it was with a degree of sadness. " **Why are you two picking on me?"** he asked quietly.

The fox was silent, unsure how to respond. Gyuki answered in his stead. " **Because if our father saw what you have become Shukaku, I believe that he would have wept for you."**

There was a silence between the three of them. After a long moment, Shukaku vanished, returning his mind to his host.

 **"Do you think he will listen?"** Gyuki asked.

 **"I can only hope so,"** Kurama muttered, before he too vanished.

 **AN: Okay, so while I was asleep last night, I hit my first ten thousand views, that's really awesome. Seriously, you guys are amazing, thank you. For people who may be slightly confused about how the tailed beasts can talk to each other, I'll explain. During the fourth shinobi world war, Naruto was able to talk to all the tailed beasts by accessing the shared dimension where their minds lived. That's what's going on here. As always, thank you for reading and please review, I love feedback. Bye! :D**


	28. Chapter 28: Speaking with a beast Part 4

**AN: Okay, just fyi, I had to make some minor rewrites earlier to fix a slight error I made, you might want to re read chapter 2 if you started reading before this chapter was published. It isn't a major thing, just some slight dialogue changes and the Hokage punching Danzo in the face. On with the fic? On with the fic.**

 **Sasuke:**

Hours passed. No one was quite sure what to do with most of the Jonin gone, with nothing else to do, the groups sat and waited, some chatting, some resting and some moving between groups as they talked to those from other teams. At around two PM, a man Sasuke recognized as an academy instructor entered the building, followed by a pair of men carrying a number of plastic grocery bags.

"We apologize for the delay, a small problem arose with some of the participants from the sound village." The man said. "My name is Iruka, after lunch-" he gestured at the shopping bags the men were carrying "We will resume the elimination round with me as your new proctor as Anko Mitarashi is currently indisposed, and any Jonin still present have students in the exam and are therefore possibly biased." He paused briefly before continuing "Everyone feel free to come on down and grab a bento box from one of the bags, there should be enough for everyone, sorry but they're store bought, we weren't expecting you to spend so long in the tower." He waved at the Genin gathered around the balconies. "Well then, come on down, don't be shy, we have crispy chicken and fried tofu, those are my personal favorites." After a brief pause, the assembled Genin slowly made their way down to the food, some eating in a small circle on the ground floor, some returning with their food to where they sat with their groups, Sasuke grabbed two boxes, one for himself and one for Naruto, before returning to his spot on the balcony.

Eventually, everyone had eaten, Naruto still sat against the wall, sleeping.

Iruka retrieved from his pocket a device identical to the one Anko had been using, after a few moments, he murmured. "Next fight, Sasuke Uchiha versus Temari of the sand village."

Sasuke stood, relieved, ever since the previous day, he had been itching to punch something. He launched himself down from the balcony to the lower level, the blonde girl made her way down and stood facing him.

"Begin," Called the new proctor.

Sasuke dashed forwards, the girl countering with surprising speed with a large paper fan, she swiped it in front of her and Sasuke threw himself to the side, he felt the gust of air just brush past his feet as he moved, this girl was good. Sasuke grinned.

The boy began making hand signs, but before he even made it halfway, another blast of wind sent him dashing to the side, this girl was fast, and a jutsu that needed no hand signs gave her too much of an advantage. Sasuke decided that now was the perfect time to give his supposedly upgraded sharingan a little field test. He infused his chakra, allowing the shift within himself. Just like before, the world seemed to slow down, far more than it had before his encounter with Orochimaru. Sasuke saw, as he had before, the chakra moving within the bodies of everyone in the room. Sasuke began to move slowly forwards, feeling like he was running through thick honey.

Slowly, ever so slowly. Sasuke saw Temari raise her fan again, saw the chakra building within her body, he watched as she manipulated it, forcing it out into the fan, before bringing the weapon around in a wide arc, wind style attacks were invisible, operating as chakra infused air. But Sasuke didn't need to see the air, he could see the chakra as it flowed towards him, the boy took a few steps to the side, feeling like he had all the time in the world, before continuing forwards. The gust of wind brushed past him, missing by a hairs breadth. Temari tried again, and again, Sasuke dodged with consummate ease. He was close to her now, just a few feet away.

Temari leaped back, pulling her fan in another wide swing, Sasuke watched as she built up and released the chakra, the pattern becoming more and more discernible every time he saw it. They called Kakashi sensei 'the copy ninja', Sasuke was beginning to understand why, with this degree of insight into how jutsu's were being performed, he was fairly certain that emulating them would be easy with enough practice. The boy stepped to the side again and this time, Temari had nowhere left to run, her back was against the wall now. The girl dropped her fan, moving to strike Sasuke with her fist, he dodged as easily as if she were standing still, moving in close to jab his own fist into the girl's stomach. To her credit, the girl hardly slowed, raising her leg in a sweeping kick, he caught it on his shoulder, moving to match her velocity and smiling as he did so. Sasuke launched another strike at Temari's midsection, knocking the wind out of her. He let the fight drag on for a few more seconds, parrying and countering almost indifferent ease. Eventually, the boy decided his field test had run its course, he punched Temari hard in the face, sending her sprawling. The girl did not get up.

"Winner, Sasuke." Called Iruka.

The boy allowed his eyes to return to normal and returned to the balcony, marveling at the degree of his newfound power. So this was what Orochimaru had meant.

People were staring at Sasuke as he walked past them, when he finally reached where Sakura and Haku sat with the still sleeping Naruto, Haku was the first to break the silence.

"Wow. I'm actually kinda glad we didn't end up fighting back in the land of waves, you're good."

"Yeah," Sakura agreed in slightly shocked tones. "He is, but I've never seen that before, what was that?"

Sasuke shrugged. "I'm pretty quick, you know." He said, smiling playfully.

Sakura's face fell, she seemed almost about to cry. "Sasuke, please stop hiding things from me, you've been doing it all day."

The boy felt a pang of guilt. "Sorry Sakura." he said quietly, dropping down next to her. "For what it's worth, I'll tell you everything soon, I promise." The girl hesitated, then nodded, sniffling slightly.

Sasuke, for his part, decided to watch the remainder of the fights with his sharingan active, so as to learn as much as he could from the other fighters.

Sasuke watched as Kankuro defeated Ino and as Kimimaro passed straight through to the next stage, nothing of particular interest occurred in either case, Kimimaro had been paired up with the third sound ninja, and had won by default, Lee having incapacitated the boy earlier. Kankuro's defeat of Ino on the other hand, was based purely on the blonde girl's main technique, the mind transfer jutsu, not working on Kankuro, the sand ninja utilizing a puppet as a disguised decoy while carrying the real him on its back. Upon attempting to transfer herself into the puppet, Ino had been left defenseless. Kosuke, Haku and Kimimaro's teammate, was slated to fight a young man named Kabuto, who simply surrendered the moment the fight started. Shortly after, Hinata and Shikamaru faced the two ninja on Kabuto's team, both coming away with easy wins, Sasuke wondered how Kabuto's group had made it this far.

Eventually, a fight came along that promised to at least be interesting "Next fight," Iruka called out. "Naruto Namikaze versus Choji Akimichi."

Sasuke reached out and shook the blonde boy awake. "Hey, sleepyhead, it's your fight."

 **AN: So, I know I kinda skipped a few fights here, but that's mainly for pacing, they were pretty much just a bunch of straight and easy wins, the last three fights, I'll publish soon, and then we'll be done with the elimination round. Out of curiosity, is anyone here able to tell me the name of the one non cannon character I have used in this fic so far? As always, thanks for reading, feel free to review and stuff, Bye! :P**


	29. Chapter 29: Speaking with a beast Part 5

**AN: So I've had one or two people asking me when the next update is going to come out. Now like I said before, I am going to be slowing down my update schedule slightly because of university starting back up. As I said before, I'll try to update at least once every few days or once a week. Sorry about that, but my life and my job come first. That said, On with the fic.**

 **Naruto:**

The boy roused slowly, badly groggy after yet another interrupted nap.

"Hey, sleepyhead, it's your fight." Came Sasuke's voice from somewhere nearby. Naruto shook himself slightly, dimly realizing that he needed to be alert right now.

"Who am I fighting?" the blonde boy mumbled sleepily.

"Choji Akimichi," Haku replied from behind him. As the girl spoke, Naruto felt a chilling cold press against the back of his neck. Naruto yelped and jerked forwards, hand jumping up to the spot where the cold had touched him. He turned to see his assailant. "Sorry," Haku said with a smile as she let the chunk of ice drop from her hand. "Sudden cold helps wake people up you know."

Naruto shuddered slightly, brushing the residual water off himself. "Thanks Haku," he said with a note of sarcasm, before creakily pushing himself to his feet and moving across the balcony towards the stairs.

So, he was fighting Choji. Naruto shrugged, this should make for an interesting match up, he had sparred with the larger boy many times before, but neither of them had ever used ninjutsu against each other. Naruto wondered how well Choji's expansion jutsu would hold against his wind style.

Passing the three sand ninja, Naruto noted Gaara give him a slight smile of encouragement, good to see.

The blonde boy reached the ground level where Choji stood waiting for him, the boy was sweating slightly, was that fear in his eyes? "What's up?" Naruto asked his friend. "Why so nervous?"

Choji gulped a little. "Didn't know you could use the fourth's jutsu's." He answered. "Not sure what to expect."

Naruto shrugged. "Just like a regular battle then."

The new proctor raised his hand. "Ready… Fight."

Naruto began moving backwards, as he recalled, Choji tended towards heavy blows and grappling in his taijutsu, better to fight from range where he held the advantage. Choji was having none of it, moving forwards to close the distance, Naruto was going to wind up against the wall. The blonde boy began making hand signs, the larger boy doing the same.

"Wind style: Great breakthrough!"

"Expansion Jutsu!"

Naruto sent a great gust of wind rocketing towards his opponent just as Choji began to expand explosively into a ball like shape, the gale hit the human sphere hard, launching it across the room and into the opposite wall. Naruto hoped the boy was unharmed, he looked helplessly over at the proctor, who started forwards to check on Choji, stopping short as a slightly muffled voice yelled,

"Special technique: Human Bullet Tank!"

There was a sound like steam escaping a valve, and Choji's spherical body began to slowly spin, building up speed rapidly, as it rolled towards the centre of the arena, it jumped just the tiniest bit off the ground, its rotation speed increasing drastically without the resistance of the ground. When Choji hit the floor again, his body sped towards Naruto like a shot from a gun.

The attack was deadly, Naruto suspected that if he had let it hit him, it would have been a one hit KO, but it also had a near unforgivably slow startup time, and it was by no means subtle. The blonde boy had more than enough time to gather the chakra in his feet, waiting for Choji to let the attack loose before making his move. As the other ninja shot towards him. Naruto jumped, propelled into the air by his chakra, he moved over the other boy in a wide arc, making hand signs as he flew.

Choji struck the wall, his spinning form impacting against the hard stone and amazingly, digging into it like some kind of drill, just how durable was that form?

Naruto landed, his hand signs complete, and drew upon all the chakra he had gathered, nearly twice as much as he normally used for the jutsu, he filled his lungs as the great sphere's rotation began to slow, starting to change direction. He waited until the rotation had stopped completely, reasoning that less rotation would mean less deflection of force, before releasing.

"Wind style: Great breakthrough!"

The gust of wind was larger now, stronger. It struck the side of Choji's form and pushed him hard against the wall, forcing his body into the crater it had dug. A few small cracks opened up in the stone at the impact. Choji, for his part, didn't seem to care. He began to spin again, building up speed once more. Naruto sighed, positioning himself against the opposite wall as he began to once again build the chakra in his feet. He would have to try a different approach.

Choji shot towards him once again and once again, Naruto jumped, this time however, the great ball jumped with him. Naruto thanked whoever might be watching that he had thought to stand against the wall, he pushed against the stone with both hands, forcing himself to the side as the human boulder rocketed towards him, he barely made it out the way in time, landing awkwardly as Choji hit the wall, biting deep into it. Naruto needed to end this quickly or Choji might actually get him with that thing. He drew a kunai.

Choji once again began to slow, his form wedged into the wall some two meters off the ground. Naruto had to be quick. Building up his chakra once more, Naruto fired himself at the larger boy once more, landing on and sticking to the wall beside him like a gecko as he carefully regulated the chakra in his feet and one free hand. Naruto began to gather as much chakra as he could in his kunai. He had been taught this as a child, part of his wind manipulation training, supposedly it was more effective if you used a special kind of metal, but he would have to make do. Naruto focused in his minds eye, layering his chakra against itself within the blade, reducing it to a fine filament of pure energy, as Choji finally ceased his spinning, Naruto pressed the tip of his kunai against the other boy's exposed stomach. The expanded flesh was hard, even with his chakra enhanced blade, it took some effort for Naruto to make a relatively shallow cut, but he could go further if he had to. Naruto looked across at the proctor. "Sir, If I go any further, I could injure Choji, but I do have a knife to his stomach and I can cut him. I'm pretty sure I win."

Iruka nodded. "Yes, I suppose so, Naruto wins." The blonde boy let out a relieved sigh, thankful he didn't have to hurt his friend any further. He let himself drop to the floor, putting away his kunai and dusting himself off. Behind him, Choji began to deflate.

Naruto waited for the other boy to drop to the ground before holding out his hand. "Good fight." He said with a smile. "You nearly got me with that jump."

Choji hesitated, before grasping the proffered hand. "You too Naruto, I'm surprised you could cut me in that form." He moved his free hand to the small wound on his stomach "It stings too." He said with a small smile. Naruto smiled back, he liked Choji, the guy never held a grudge.

As he moved back up the stairs to rejoin the others, Naruto pondered the fight. It had been a close run thing, if he hadn't been able to pierce the other boy's form, he likely would have lost.

"Nice moves." Sasuke commented mildly as he approached.

Naruto shrugged. "Not really, I really need to work on a way to get through hard defenses, I could barely even scratch Choji in that form."

Sasuke nodded. Haku, for her part, looked thoughtful. "I might have a solution we could work on for that actually."

"Me too as it happens." Sasuke grinned. "Guess that problem's about to solve itself."

 **Haku:**

"Next fight: Haku Yuki versus Tenten of the leaf."

Haku stood, stretching for a moment and giving the others a smile before she began to walk across the balcony to the stairs. The day had been quite educational, Haku pondered, both Sasuke and Naruto having revealed abilities that rivaled hers and Kimimaro's. Perhaps she had been underestimating her boyfriend's team. Haku shrugged, for now he just had to focus on the fight ahead. Haku glanced across at her opponent, a brown haired girl sporting a large scroll that hung from her back. Haku was wary of that scroll, it was a specialized tool and thus, an unknown quantity.

The two fighters reached the middle of the arena at the same time, standing across from one another. The kunoichi gave a small bow which Haku, slightly taken aback, returned.

"Ready… Fight." Called Iruka.

Without any hesitation, Haku drew and launched several needles at the girl in a single swift motion, each aimed for a non-vital area of muscle. The girl moved surprisingly quickly, stepping to the side and pulling her scroll into a ready position, she rolled it slightly open, revealing what seemed to be some kind of storage seal, she pressed her hand to the seal and pulled it away, drawing a long, bladed whip from the parchment. A weapons specialist? Interesting.

Haku took a few measured steps backwards, moving just outside the range she estimated the other girl's whip could reach. For her part, the girl shifted the scroll back into position on her back and readied the whip for use, holding the handle in one hand and the midpoint in another, swinging the blade around in slow circles at half length. Haku considered the girl, she was capable, no doubt about that and the whip was likely not her only weapon. She had two options, use ninjutsu to end this as quickly as possible, or hold back and attempt to beat the girl with her weapons, she opted for ninjutsu, deciding to hold off her Kekkei genkai for the moment so as to keep her trump card a secret for the third stage.

Haku raised her right hand, filling it with more needles from her sleeve and throwing them at her foe in a wide arc, she moved her left hand behind her back and began making hand signs single handed, a skill she had developed in service of Zabuza.

Tenten did not move to dodge, as Haku had expected. Instead, she moved forwards, flicking the blade at the end of her whip to intercept the needles sent towards her and ignoring the ones to either side. She pressed forwards, letting the whip extend to its full length behind her as she prepared to bring it forwards in a fast, deadly strike.

Haku finished her last hand sign and threw herself backwards as fast as she could, bringing up a needle with her right hand just in time to intercept the blade as the other ninja launched it forwards. She only managed to partially deflect the strike and the bladed head of the whip drew a long red line across her shoulder, she winced in pain. This girl was good, nearly as fast as Haku was, and definitely stronger than her, she filled her lungs with air, preparing to discharge the stored up chakra, and let out a single, powerful breath.

"Wind style, Great breakthrough!"

The torrent of wind caught the girl off guard, Haku couldn't blame her. Most normal people had to choose between making attacks and performing hand signs, not so much for her though. Tenten threw herself to the side just a moment too late, the edge of the blast caught the girl and sent her sprawling. Haku leaped forwards, needing to capitalize on the opening. She threw two more needles, each of which embedded itself into the kunoichi's right and left shoulder, hampering her movements with that whip. Drawing another needle, Haku closed the remaining distance to the girl and attacked as she pulled herself to her feet. Tenten tried to block, but the needles in her arms slowed her, and Haku brought the needle up against her throat.

Haku was panting heavily, it may not have been a long fight, but it had been energetic. She gazed at the taller girl who, for some reason, was smiling gleefully down at her.

"You're fun," said Tenten quietly, the movements of her throat restricted by the needle pressed against it.

"Yeah, you too," Haku replied between breaths. "We should definitely do this again."

"Winner, Haku Yuki," Said the proctor quietly behind them.

"Challenge accepted," Said Tenten with a grin.

Haku withdrew the needle, stowing it once more in her sleeve before quietly kneeling down and beginning to collect the rest of her blades from across the floor. Tenten helped collect the last of them, handing them over.

"Thanks." She smiled, before heading back to sit with Naruto, currently eating the bento Sasuke had saved for him.

 **Sasuke:**

"Final fight," Iruka called. "Kiba Inuzuka versus Rock Lee."

Sasuke watched intently as the two combattants faced one another. He knew Kiba to be a close combat Ninjutsu specialist, often performing combo techniques with that dog, Akamaru. Lee on the other hand, was something of a mystery, all Sasuke knew was that he had disabled both Dosu and his comrade with some genuinely superb taijutsu, what could he have up his sleeves?

The two opponents stood across from one another, waiting for the proctor to call it.

"Fight… Start." Iruka said quietly.

Sasuke watched as Kiba lunged, Lee swayed to the side, moving out of the way as he brought his leg up to deliver a powerful kick to the other boy's midsection, it connected hard. Sasuke winced in sympathy as the boy staggered, moving to the side as Lee backed off. Kiba, to his extreme credit, was only taken out for a few moments, although, Sasuke realized, a few moments would have been more than enough for someone like Lee to follow through and end it. Was the green clad ninja being polite? Or was he just toying with Kiba? Sasuke doubted it, Lee didn't seem like the type.

Kiba straightened, lifting Akamaru from his customary position atop his head, placing the hound on the floor. Shortly afterwards, the dog disappeared in a puff of smoke, replaced by a duplicate of Kiba, for his part, Lee stood back and waited, allowing his foe to prepare his next move. Sasuke chuckled, Lee was either way too generous, or way too cockly.

Both Kiba's lunged at Lee, who took up a defensive stance. Before they reached him, however, the beast ninja and his partner disappeared, replaced by a whirling blur of force, shooting towards the unfortunate Lee. The green clad ninja brought his arms up to defend, taking the brunt of both blows directly, his body was thrown hard against the wall.

The blurred forms resolved themselves once more into Kiba and his double. "So how do you like our fang over fang technique?" Kiba asked, his tone cocky.

Lee stood, dusting himself off and smiling. "That was most impressive." The boy said with unabashed enthusiasm "I was quite taken in by your technique."

Kiba grinned. "Yeah, me and Akamaru here make a pretty good team. Ready for more?"

"One moment." Said Lee, holding up a hand. "Do you mind if I remove my training weights before we continue?"

Kiba was not the only one to give Lee a strange look as the boy spoke, almost the entire room was gazing at Lee in confusion. "Uhh…" Kiba muttered, taken aback "Sure, I guess? Shouldn't you have done that before the fight?"

Lee stooped and pulled down his leg warmers, working at undoing two small bundles of weights attached to his ankles. "Honestly, I was not expecting to need to take them off. You are quite strong." The boy finished undoing the weights and threw one to either side of him. Sasuke noted, with some horror, that the tiled floor cracked where the weights landed. Just how heavy were they?

Kiba noticed too, dropping into a defensive posture. It was already too late, Lee kicked the first Kiba hard in the stomach, launching him the length of the room and into the opposite wall. Sasuke gaped, were it not for his sharingan enhanced vision, he doubted he would have seen Lee as anything more than a blur. The Kiba that hit the wall fell to the floor, vanishing with a puff of smoke to reveal Akamaru laying unconscious on the ground. Without hesitation, the two ninja who had accompanied Iruka dashed forwards, tending to the fallen hound.

Kiba threw himself towards the other ninja with a roar of anger, throwing blow after blow at Lee. None of them even came close to connecting. Lee simply dodged each and every one before driving his knee upwards into Kiba's gut. The blow lifted Kiba bodily off the ground, throwing him several feet, he landed on his backside and wretched, losing his lunch all over the floor. Lee stood back and waited patiently for his opponent to recover.

Eventually, Kiba stood, his legs shaking only slightly. Letting out a single, final roar, Kiba threw himself at Lee, once more shifting into that swirling blur of power. Lee ran and the blur followed close behind him, moving hot on his heels. Sasuke was astounded by the speed of Lee's movements, noting that he still hadn't seen the boy execute a single ninjutsu. When it became clear that there was no point in dodging Kiba's strike, the mass of kinetic force following close behind him with every movement, Lee turned, planted his feet, and held out his hand to the oncoming attack. Sasuke let his jaw drop open. As the whirling blur resolved itself once more into Kiba, it became clear to everyone what had just happened. Lee, in defiance of all logic, had reached out to an attack strong enough to break bones, and had caught it in his hand. Unfortunately for Kiba, the part of the attack Lee had caught, was his face.

"Well done." Lee said in a voice of the same polite enthusiasm he had held for the duration of the fight. "You managed to make me use my arms." With that, he pulled Kiba towards him and, with his free hand, punched the boy in the face. Kiba went limp.

"Winner, Rock Lee." Said Iruka into the stunned silence. "Now then everyone, this concludes the elimination round. For those of you who remain, I advise you train rigorously. The final round takes place in one months time, and will be a simple tournament. For those of you who revealed their secret techniques during their match, I advise you to think of something new, it is always best to have something to surprise your foes with. Good luck to you all, Dismissed."

Sasuke sat, shocked. He had never seen anyone move that fast unaided before, how was someone supposed to compete with that level of speed? Around him, the others were chatting, Naruto discussing training timetables with Sakura as Haku offered occasional comment. Dully, he rose to his feet, joining the others as they made their way outside. As he stepped through the door, Sasuke gave one last look over his shoulder at the arena room. The walls and floor pocked with craters and cracks, he let out a small chuckle before heading back towards the village.

 **AN: For those of you who haven't been keeping track, the remaining Genin are as follows: Neji, Lee, Gaara, Kankuro, Kimimaro, Haku, Kosuke, Sasuke, Sakura, Naruto, Shikamaru and Hinata.**

 **Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed it. Feel free to leave a comment or a review, I enjoy the feedback. Bye! :P**


	30. Chapter 30: Stuff

**AN: I know it's been a while, almost four days, which is the longest break this fic has ever taken. I had uni stuff and work stuff and will likely take similar breaks in future, real life comes first after all. That being said, let us continue. On with the fic.**

 **Naruto:**

The two boys were awoken early the following morning by an insistent knocking on the front door, accompanied by a good deal of muffled talking. Naruto rose bleary eyed from his sleep, his hair sticking up at odd angles from sleep. The boy shuffled through to the front door, yawning, opening it to see the expectant and slightly desperate face of Gaara of the sand. Temari and Kankuro were with him, both looked only slightly less agitated than the redhead did. Gaara was the first to speak, looking at Naruto pleadingly. "Please? You promised." Of course, Naruto realized, he had given Gaara something he'd been craving but denied for twelve years, of course the boy was going to be desperate for more.

Naruto nodded to the other boy. "Yeah, I did, give me a few minutes to put some day clothes on and I'll take you out to one of the training grounds where your sand won't be as likely to destroy anything, okay?" Gaara nodded eagerly, Temari and Kankuro smiling happily behind him. Naruto went and changed, greeting the equally exhausted looking Sasuke as he grumbled his way out of his room to see who was visiting at five in the morning. The sand ninja gave Sasuke a curious look from the doorway as he moved to the kitchen for some coffee.

"Why are you here?" Temari asked him.

The dark haired boy shrugged. "Naruto and I are orphans, we live together cuz it's nice to have company, want some coffee?"

Naruto emerged from his room a few minutes later, properly dressed and slightly less tousled looking than he had been, he sniffed the air once or twice, grunting appreciatively before he walked to the coffee pot to fetch himself some in a disposable cup.

The five ninja moved quietly through the morning streets towards the third training ground, chatting among themselves as they drank their coffee, Sasuke having decided to tag along. Gaara was doing his best to conceal the urgency in his eyes, the desperation he was still clearly feeling. Naruto decided he'd best broach the topic, he asked Sasuke to make a run to a café and pick up some breakfast to give the other four some privacy. "So, have you kept your promise?" the blonde boy asked as his brother moved out of sight.

Gaara nodded, arms wrapped around his torso, his hands rubbing at his shoulders. "I haven't killed anyone, I promise." He said in that same, slightly pleading tone.

Kankuro nodded. "He really hasn't Naruto, we were with him all day yesterday."

"Good." Naruto said gently. "I'm glad, Gaara, how is the voice taking that?"

Gaara hesitated, looking deeply conflicted. "I… Haven't heard mother's voice since yesterday. I think she's angry with me."

 ** _I had a word with Shukaku_** Kurama interjected from inside Naruto's head, **_One of our brothers helped me explain to him that we thought it unbecoming._**

Naruto didn't know what to say to that, eventually deciding to try reassuring Gaara. "Well, that's okay Gaara, even if she is mad, parents don't stay mad at their kids forever."

The boy seemed to struggle slightly with himself "What if I never hear from her again?" He asked quietly.

Naruto pondered this. "Then… Then I guess you'll never need to kill anyone for her again." He said eventually. "And you'll still have your brother and sister to talk to right?" After a long silence, Gaara nodded and went back to quietly hugging himself.

The group reached the third training ground shortly afterwards. Temari and Kankuro moved a safe distance away, leaving Gaara in the center of the small clearing.

Naruto took a deep breath, _Well Kurama? You ready?_

 ** _Ready._** Came the reply without hesitation.

Naruto walked forwards, trying to clear away the tension he was feeling. Gaara's sand leaped forwards, striking at Naruto like a whip. When it came within an inch of Naruto's skin, the sand was repelled by the same glowing red energy that Kurama had used the day before, the Kyuubi's chakra slowly roiling out and subduing the sand. Naruto walked within a few feet of Gaara, holding out a hand for the other boy to take, Gaara grabbed hold of the proffered hand with both of his own. Naruto had wondered if the other boy would cry this time, he was pleasantly surprised to see the other boy had managed to restrain himself to a quivering lip. Naruto turned and waved the other two inside the chakra. The two moved one at a time, just in case the red field proved incapable of defending three separate people at once, first Temari, then Kankuro.

The three siblings sat cuddling one another, murmuring quietly between themselves while Naruto lay on the grassy floor, staring up at the roiling sand above. Naruto was curious as to how well his improvised treatment was working, _What does your emotion sensing power tell you, Kurama?_ He asked inside himself.

There was a momentary silence as the spirit inside Naruto's mind used whatever senses it possessed. **_Well,_** it rumbled quietly **_First and foremost, it tells me we aren't alone right now. There are others watching from the trees._**

Naruto was careful to restrain his reaction, continuing to maintain an outward appearance of calm, _Any idea who it is?_ He asked.

Another silence as the fox presumably observed the emotions of their hidden watchers. **_Four people, one stranger, his thoughts a mix of nervousness and anxiety, directed primarily towards the three sand children. At a guess I would suspect it to be their instructor. As for the other three, from the color of their emotions, I would suspect Kakashi Hatake and Sarutobi Hiruzen, the third Hokage, as for the third among them, I couldn't say._**

Naruto considered this for some time, _Well_ , he said eventually, _I guess that's to be expected, to them it probably just looks like I'm using your powers freely, does Kakashi sensei know about you being inside me?_

The voice Inside Naruto laughed **_Kakashi Hatake was one of the only ones who knew, Naruto. He and the third were the ones who discovered you after I was sealed inside you, the seal left a very clear sign of my presence._**

Naruto sighed _Yeah, I expected as much. How about Gaara though? How is he doing?_

The voice considered for a moment before it spoke, **_Were I looking at anyone else, I would diagnose what that boy is feeling as a deep depression. For him though, I expect it's happier than he's been in years._**

 _Yeah, I thought so._ Naruto replied sadly.

Shortly thereafter, Sasuke returned with a box of donuts, stepping gingerly inside the cloud of chakra. The box was passed around the five young ninja, leaving only two left when Naruto was handed the box, a jam filled one and a chocolate covered one. Naruto reached for the chocolate donut. **_Wait_** Kurama interjected, **_Go for the jam one, Jam tastes nicer than chocolate._**

Naruto cocked his eyebrow at this in curiosity, _Wait, do you mean to say you can taste what I eat?_

 ** _Of course I can._** The voice responded in what Naruto would have called mild annoyance. **_In the same way that I can see what you do and feel what you do and hear what you hear._**

Naruto went pale, almost impossible to notice within the red haze _Are… are you telling me you've been with me for… everything?_

There was a silence, broken when the voice inside Naruto rumbled with deep laughter. **_No, little one, not quite. There is a place I can go to seclude myself from your senses, I tend to go there whenever you do something I do not wish to be party to, when you use the toilet, when you are ill, when you… do what growing boys do._** The voice held a humor to it, a contained laughter. Naruto couldn't believe this, he was being teased by an eldritch horror. Well, at least it gave him some privacy.

Naruto slowly began to calm down once more, reaching out and grabbing the jam filled donut and biting into it. _Well this is humiliating._ He mumbled internally.

 ** _For you and me both._** The fox replied.

Naruto chewed contemplatively, doing his best to let the jam sit on his tongue so that Kurama could take in the flavor, he might as well be polite to the thing after all. _That gives me an idea._ He said eventually, taking another bite.

 ** _Oh yes? What about?_** Asked the voice, mildly curious.

 _Well._ Naruto responded, _For obvious reasons, I can't let you out, there's no telling what you would do, but you are right in saying that it isn't fair for you to be imprisoned like this._

 ** _I see, what is your idea then?_** This time the voice spoke with actual interest.

 _Well,_ Naruto said hesitantly, _If you can… feel what my body does, maybe I can… give you control every now and again, just for a day or so, to do what you want for a while._

There was a long silence, Naruto got the sense that the fox was trying to restrain its eagerness. **_Yes, that is a partial solution. It is not ideal, but it is better than I have had before, would you like me to show you how to surrender control?_**

Naruto shook his head _No Kurama, not like that. I don't exactly trust you enough yet to let you actually take control, and I have no way of knowing that I'd be able to get my body back afterwards._

The voice inside his head let out an irritated sigh. **_Then what exactly DO you mean?_**

 _Well, I thought… Once we're done here, you could tell me what to do today, give me commands and I can follow them as long as it isn't anything evil. You could go out and eat whatever you like, or have a conversation with someone other than me._

After a long pause, Kurama spoke again. **_That is… acceptable. I would prefer other methods, but perhaps they will come with time. For the moment, however, this will do._**

The beast fell silent inside Naruto's mind.

Naruto allowed the chakra to persist a good deal longer than the few minutes he had given Gaara the previous day, persisting for a good two hours before he finally called a stop to it. "Okay, I think that's enough for today. Four of us do have training to do after all." Naruto said, sitting upright.

Gaara gave Naruto a sad look, reminiscent of a puppy begging for a treat, but stood nonetheless, slowly extricating himself from his siblings. "Tomorrow?" The boy asked hopefully.

"Tomorrow," Naruto agreed. "Although, maybe don't wake us up so early? Actually never mind, it's better to get an early start on the day for training days. Just don't wake us up before five, okay?"

Gaara nodded, smiling that small smile that still managed to look so incredibly sad. The four ninja stepped away from Gaara's sand together within the protective cloak of Kurama's chakra.

When they had made their separation and the last of the chakra had finished receding back inside of Naruto, Gaara spoke up. "Is… Is yours like my mother?" He asked quietly, Temari and Kankuro jerked their heads towards Naruto in shock. Naruto sighed, he had been hoping to keep that relatively quiet, but he supposed hiding the truth from Gaara was always a losing bet.

"Yeah, sort of." He replied quietly. "Promise not to tell anyone?"

Gaara nodded. "Promise."

Naruto looked to Temari and Kankuro, both of whom hesitated, before nodding.

"Thanks." The blonde boy said. "I appreciate that."

The three sand ninja left, heading back towards the leaf village.

"So," Sasuke said quietly. "I guess we should go find Kakashi sensei and ask him about special training?"

Naruto shook his head. "Sorry Sasuke, I kinda made arrangements for today, go on without me, kay?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Ok." Before heading off.

Standing alone in the clearing, Naruto once more turned his voice inwards, _Well Kurama? What are we doing today?_

There was a moments hesitation before the voice said **_Let your body go limp, okay?_**

Naruto was confused, but saw no harm in obeying, he obligingly lay down on the grass and allowed his muscles to relax. After a few moments, Naruto felt his arm jerk forwards, he let out a small cry of surprise. "Kurama, what the hell!?"

In a single instant, Naruto was surrounded, the third Hokage, Kakashi sensei, and a third, masked ninja standing around him. "What is it doing to you Naruto?" Asked Kakashi urgently.

There was another small chuckle as the beast responded **_Sorry Naruto, I should have explained. Letting your body go limp allows me to make suggestions to your muscles, that way I can control your body without you sacrificing control, you just need to start moving on your own again and I lose my power over your body._**

Naruto began to stand, immediately feeling the Hokage's gentle but firm hand on his chest, pressing him back down. _Fine then, we can do that, I guess. Just warn me next time, okay?_ To the surrounding ninja he said. "It's fine, I'm still in control, just giving Kurama a day out is all."

The reaction was not what Naruto had expected, he yelped as Kakashi immediately moved to pin his legs to the floor as the masked ninja did the same with his arms, the Hokage knelt by Naruto's midsection, pulling his shirt up around his shoulders to reveal his stomach.

"I am sorry to do this Naruto, but we cannot let the beast escape." The old man said, pressing his palm to Naruto's stomach for a few moments. Naruto watched in confused trepidation as an inky black seal faded slowly into existence on his skin. The three older ninja looked at it closely for several moments. "Strange, everything is as it should be, is he letting it out of his own will?"

Naruto groaned, his realization making him irritable, they were scared he was possessed. "Yeah, I am, I thought it was a way better idea than keeping him a prisoner the whole time." He sat upright, pushing past the other ninja's unresistant hands. "It's better he have a little freedom with me ready to retake control if I need to than to let the whole thing just get worse."

Kakashi and Hiruzen were giving the boy stunned looks, he had to assume the masked man was too. Naruto stood, the other three standing too.

"So, when did you learn to use its chakra?" Kakashi asked. "For that matter, when did you learn it existed."

Naruto felt his body attempt to move on its own, easy enough to resist, but he allowed it to happen, letting Kurama take over. The fox spoke with his vocal chords, but it was not his voice. **"I informed Naruto of my existence a short while ago, he is an interesting one."**

The Hokage took a horrified step back, Kakashi moved to restrain him once more, holding him in a full nelson, the masked ninja held a palm out towards Naruto, a strange seal on his hand. After several moments, the ninja gave a pained groan. "It's not working, no matter how much I reinforce the seal, the chakra won't recede."

Naruto sighed. "Are you all going to freak out like this every time I let Kurama join the conversation?"

He felt the tug once more and allowed Kurama to take control. What happened next was almost indescribable to Naruto's senses. He felt a surge of power, large enough in scale that it dwarfed everything he had experienced prior. His eyesight shifted, growing more acute and time seemed to slow fractionally. Most notably though, Naruto began to feel a strange sensation, as though he could almost hear voices outside of himself, it was hard to describe. Kakashi let out a pained cry as the boy broke his hold effortlessly. After this small demonstration, Kurama spoke. " **My chakra will not be contained, young ninja, no matter how much you reinforce that damned seal."** He addressed the masked man. " **Because you see, I am not forcing myself through the seal, I am merely giving the boy access to my power."**

The Hokage gazed at Naruto in shock "Naruto… are you in there?"

Naruto cocked his head to the side, giving the man a strange look "Of course I am, where else would I be?"

Kakashi replied first. "Naruto, you're glowing and you just broke the grip of a high level Jonin with minimal effort, we have a right to be perturbed."

Naruto held a hand in front of his face and saw that he was indeed exuding a bright golden light, traces of which seemed to arc off his skin occasionally. "Whoa cool," He said excitedly. "It's like I'm on fire!"

 **AN: I like to imagine that's how most of us would react to this sort of thing. If there's any confusion, Naruto is currently in something like the full fox cloak he used after befriending Kurama during the fourth shinobi world war, albeit a much weaker version because the seal is still in place holding Kurama back from using his full power.**

 **Thanks all of you for reading. As always feel free to review because I desperately crave the attention ;P Bye!**


	31. Chapter 31: EMOTIONS!

**AN: So, for anyone who has been keeping track, I published the first chapter of this story exactly four weeks ago. The last month has been quite interesting. Gotta say, I was not expecting to write 65000 words in such a short time, kinda surprising. Thanks to the 60 people who have followed and the 53 who have listed this as a favorite, you guys are awesome.**

 **That said, On with the fic.**

 **Naruto:**

Naruto cackled with glee as he sped around the clearing, jumping from the boughs of trees and landing with ease and grace on trees all the way across the clearing. In the center of the third training ground, three of the most powerful ninja in the leaf village watched with a mixture of awe, horror and wry amusement.

 ** _It feels good to stretch like this,_** Said Kurama inside Naruto's mind. **_My energy has been cooped up for far too long._**

Naruto launched himself off a final tree, firing himself high into the air and falling back to the ground in an uncontrolled dive, whooping all the way. The glowing boy landed with a thump on the soft earth and stood to brush himself off, completely unharmed. "This is SO fun!" he exclaimed. "I feel like I could take on the world!"

The three shinobi gazed at the boy, apparently awaiting his next move. That feeling of hearing voices outside himself was still there, slightly confusing the boy.

 _Hey Kurama?_ He asked. _Why does it feel like there's people talking in my mind?_

The voice answered with interest. **_Huh… If I'm right, you may have obtained a degree of my emotion sensing abilities. Try focusing on them._**

Naruto did. As he focused, the sensation strengthened, changing from a small whispering on the edges of himself to a clear sense of the emotions emotions around him. Naruto sensed a sort of confused shock drifting from the three ninja opposite. It was the strangest sensation, feeling their emotions and yet not _feeling_ them.

 ** _Naruto_** , the spirit rumbled. **_I need you to clarify something._**

Naruto turned his attention inward, momentarily curious. _Yeah? What is it?_

 ** _You said I could do anything I wanted as long as it wasn't evil, right?_**

This made Naruto nervous, he wasn't sure he liked the idea of the fox testing what it could get away with, _What did you have in mind?_ The boy asked, cautiously.

 ** _I want to punch the Hokage in the face._** The creature said, trying its best to sound diplomatic.

 _What? No!_ Naruto objected, working to keep his face neutral so that the three ninja didn't overreact again. _You can't punch the Hokage, I like him!_

The voice hesitated before it next spoke. **_This… this is the same man who lied to you about me. The man who refused to tell you about your mother and who, if Orochimaru is to be believed, is still keeping at secrets from you even now?_**

Naruto considered this for a few seconds. _Damn, now I kind of wanna punch him._

 ** _I'm glad we are agreed here._** The fox chuckled.

"Lord Hokage?" Naruto asked politely.

"Yes?" the old man replied.

"Kurama and I… Kind of want to punch you… can we?"

Inside Naruto's head, the fox was laughing. **_Boy, you do not ask to do such things. You simply do them._**

Naruto spoke his reply aloud for the benefit of the others. "Kurama, if I didn't ask permission first, they'd think I was possessed again."

The Hokage cocked his head to the side, his expression otherwise passive. "Why do you want to do that?" He asked mildly.

Naruto considered how much he should say, eventually deciding to milk the situation for information. He directed his newfound emotional detection at the Hokage. "Well sir, I already know that you hid Kurama from me, I also know that you kept any knowledge of my mother secret from me." Naruto felt the old man's emotions even as he kept his face utterly passive, a pang of guilt, a tinge of sadness, Naruto felt a little bad about wanting to hurt the man for a moment. "Then there's the fact that I know you're still hiding even more things from me and Sasuke, stuff you don't want us to know." The blonde boy had been hoping that Orochimaru had lied about there being even more secrets, had hoped this statement would cause Hiruzen some confusion, perhaps even amusement. The boy felt a crushing dread from the old man, mixed with a deep sorrow. Well there went any hope of the secrets being done with.

The Hokage still maintained rigorous control over his expression, had Naruto not had access to the emotion sense that Kurama had granted, he would have been utterly fooled. "And what on earth makes you think that, young man?"

Naruto considered what he knew, Orochimaru had said it was a secret the village was hiding from both him and Sasuke, implying that unlike Kurama, this secret did not revolve around Naruto, this left remarkably few things for there to be a secret about. Specifically, it left their family. The boy swallowed, not entirely sure he wanted to know any more but he needed to find out, needed to be wrong here. The small boy tested the theory the only way he could. "Because I know about the Uchiha." He said, firing blind to see whether his idea generated any response, he sensed the old man's dread deepen. Naruto tried to narrow it down. "About the massacre." More dread. The boy was almost certain he didn't want to know anymore, it was only loyalty to Sasuke that drove him to his final probing attempt. "About Itachi." The third Hokage felt such a wave of pain and sadness that Naruto had to grit his teeth against it. Naruto himself was feeling a swirling mass of emotions at this point, not least of which was a horrible trepidation, what had they not been told?

The old man's face fell. "So you know, do you?" No, Naruto didn't know, he only knew that something was going on, but he couldn't let the Hokage know that. The boy nodded. Inside him, Kurama remained silent, observing quietly. Sarutobi Hiruzen gave a sad sigh "And yet you still want to kill him?" This threw Naruto, what could possibly make him not want his revenge on the man?

"He killed my family." Naruto said quietly.

From Kurama's power, Naruto could tell his response had confused the old man. "Yes," He responded. "But under _my_ orders, Naruto. Does that not make any difference to you?"

Naruto felt the statement hit him like a tidal wave. First came shock, followed shortly after by rage. "Yes." The boy said, his voice barely contained. "It does." And Naruto launched himself at the old man, throwing all of the strength of his new form into the first punch. Kakashi and the masked ninja moved to stop him, but Naruto was too fast. The Hokage barely even moved.

Naruto's fist collided with the old man's jaw with a thunderous crack, throwing him backwards across the clearing. The old man struck a tree hard enough to make the broad trunk sway.

Naruto did not stop, moving fast to avoid being caught by his two pursuers, the boy ran to the Hokage's slumped form.

In the end, It was Kurama who saved the life of Sarutobi Hiruzen, before Naruto could land a second blow, the great fox allowed his chakra to pull back from the boy, leaving him nothing more than an angry twelve year old. The boy struck at the old man once on the cheek, Hiruzen took the blow, gazing into Naruto's eyes as he let the boy punch him.

In less than a second, Kakashi and the masked ninja had caught up, Naruto felt hands on his arms, holding him back, a kunai pressed against his throat. "Let me go!" The boy roared at his captors, tears beginning to flow down his cheeks. Neither man moved.

"Let him." The old man murmured from the floor. "It's the least I deserve after what we did to him."

After a tense silence, the two men relinquished their grip on the boy. Naruto struck the Hokage again with as much force as he could muster, Hiruzen took the blow without complaint. Naruto punched the man again and again with a savage roar, all his taijutsu training forgotten. With every blow, Naruto's roar became weaker, his punches less severe. After a long while, the boy sat kneeling on the floor before the old man, whimpering quietly as he cried his sorrows out.

* * *

 **Some time later:**

"What happened?" the boy asked listlessly, his voice croaky from his recent sobs.

"We had no choice." The old man replied, seemingly uncaring about the ragged mess of cuts and bruised flesh that was his face, nor about his quite probably broken jaw. "The Uchiha were one of the village's strongest and most honourable clans, they had grown tired of being the back seat of the leaf, resigned to police work. At the time, Itachi was one of my most powerful and most loyal ANBU. The boy came to me with news that the Uchiha planned to stage a coup."

Naruto nodded, taking it in. He was unable to feel much at that moment beyond the pain in his knuckles, the old man had been wise to let him spend his emotions on beating him. "So you had him kill them?" He asked, his voice deadened.

The old man's reply surprised Naruto slightly. "That was not my intent." Hiruzen's words came bitter from his mouth. "I met with the leader of the Uchiha, the man who you knew as a father. I went to negotiate with him. His point was valid, the Uchiha had in fact been marginalized over time. I was ready to offer recompense, even to hand over the position of Hokage, Fugaku was a wise and strong enough man to handle the position in my stead."

Naruto felt a twinge in his stomach, all that his drained emotions could manage at this point. "So then why is my family dead?"

Here, the Hokage hesitated. "Because… because someone else forced my hand Naruto. A power within the village approached Itachi the night before the massacre. He told Itachi that he would not allow the Uchiha to usurp the village leadership unchallenged, and that if nothing was done, he would have the clan killed. The man offered Itachi a deal, if Itachi ended the matter himself, he would be allowed to spare his younger siblings. Itachi came to me and we agreed, we lacked the power to stop the man, so Itachi complied with his wishes."

The blonde boy looked up from the ground, fixing the Hokage's gaze with his own. "Tell me this man's name." He said quietly.

The old man gazed at the boy for several long minutes, neither breaking eye contact, neither wavering. "No." he said eventually. "If you tried to fight him, he would kill you."

Naruto glared at Hiruzen, his eyes attempting to muster venom, but too tired. "That's my choice." He said calmly.

Sarutobi sighed, eventually speaking again. "He'll kill Sasuke too, you know. Still so eager?"

Naruto felt the weight of that, the knowledge stopping him dead. "…Fine, but when we get stronger, he dies." The boy stated.

Hiruzen did not respond, watching the boy quietly.

 **AN: thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed it. As always, feel free to review or comment. Bye :P**


	32. Chapter 32: Jiraiya

**AN: Hey guys, nothing much to say here. Let's do the thing.**

 **Day one, Sasuke:**

Sasuke found Sakura before he found Kakashi, waving to her as they moved towards one another. "Hey Sakura." he grinned. "Looking for sensei?"

The pink haired girl nodded, jogging across to Sasuke to grab his hand in hers so they could walk together. "Yeah, I was hoping to get some advanced training before the final stage next month."

The dark haired boy chuckled. "Yeah, me too. I thought he might be able to teach me some super secret technique or something."

"Well, actually, that was kind of the plan, yeah." Said a quiet voice behind the two, they turned, seeing the masked face of Kakashi Hatake as the man leaned himself casually against a wall.

Sasuke's eyes lit up "Secret technique? You promise?"

Kakashi laughed a little to himself "Yes Sasuke, I promise."

"Me too!" Sakura interrupted. "I need something that isn't genjutsu if I want to survive a tournament!"

The silver haired ninja looked across at the girl and nodded. "I agree, you need something more suited to a one on one fight. I've found a man who can train you for the month leading up to the final round, his name is Ebisu."

Sakura nodded, toying absently with the bandanna cloth she kept coiled at her waist even outside of missions in case she needed it. "I know Ebisu sensei, he's my teacher for now?" Kakashi nodded and Sakura turned to sprint off towards Ebisu's dojo without hesitation.

"Well she's certainly eager." Muttered Kakashi, before returning his attention to Sasuke. "Shall we head off ourselves?"

Sasuke nodded, grinning eagerly. "Yeah, I wanna see what you've got for me."

The two set off, Kakashi moving fast enough that Sasuke struggled to keep up, they came to a halt on a rocky outcropping some distance from the village proper. "Well Sasuke, first up, we'll need to work on your speed, it's decent, but you're still just a little too slow for the technique I wanna teach you."

Sasuke nodded, panting slightly. So he needed to be faster, huh? Made sense. "What technique?" he asked, making no attempt to disguise his curiosity.

Kakashi bent down, reaching his hands to his feet to perform a few stretches, in response to Sasuke's question, he gave a small grunt of amusement. "Sasuke, how much do you know about lightning manipulation?"

Sasuke felt his grin grow wider, this was gonna be awesome. "Enough to make a little lightning chakra, not much more than that."

Kakashi stood up straight again. "Yeah, that's about what I expected. Better than starting from step one though. Let's get started."

Kakashi vanished, It was only finely honed instinct that allowed Sasuke to avoid the first blow, throwing himself to the ground in an undignified heap, Kakashi's fist passing through the air he had inhabited a mere moment before.

Sasuke gazed up at his teacher, eyes wide. "Y-you got faster!? How? I thought the burns would have slowed you down!"

Kakashi chuckled darkly. "Yeah, a good friend of mine put me through a pretty severe recovery program, didn't you know? I got injured so badly that Naruto was coming to my apartment every day just to feed me. After training like that, I'm better than ever. If you can't keep up Sasuke, you're gonna have a bad time."

Sasuke stood, brushing the dust from his clothes. He closed his eyes, channeling his chakra to activate his sharingan before opening them again. "Come at me then." Even with time slowed to such a degree as the sharingan allowed, Sasuke had trouble fighting the silver haired ninja. The truth of the matter was that even if he could now perceive Kakashi's movements, his body was still moving too slowly to respond to them, the boy was barely managing to dodge them. A fist connected with Sasuke's gut, knocking him off his feet. The boy stood, coughing, and continued as though nothing had happened.

Kakashi beat away at Sasuke until the boy could no longer move, to his credit, Sasuke lasted longer than Kakashi had expected, the medical ninja Kakashi had organized to arrive just in time to heal the boy arriving a good while before Sasuke eventually did hit the ground without getting up again. The white clad ninja stepped forwards and began tending to Sasuke's wounds, looking up at the silver haired Jonin. "Are you seriously replicating Guy's recuperation training? After all those times I had to heal you?"

Kakashi nodded as he watched the figure work "Yes I am. Thing is, even though I hated every second of that training, it made me faster than ever, maybe there's something to be said for repeatedly over training as long as there are medical ninja on hand to fix you up afterwards."

The white clad figure finished tending the boy. "You're gonna feel a bit achy in your everything for a while." He said to the boy. "See you tomorrow kid." The ninja left the rocky outcropping, heading back to the village.

Sasuke stood, his whole body feeling stiff and sore. "You did well for your first day." Said Kakashi in an amused tone. "Hopefully you will be faster tomorrow." Sasuke groaned at this. "No complaining," Kakashi admonished the boy with that same amused voice. "Now it's time for the second part of your training. Lightning style chakra manipulation."

Sasuke felt his grin returning "About time." He said, cracking his knuckles.

The two ninja trained through the afternoon on generating elemental chakra, trained until Sasuke quite simply ran out of chakra to train with, after which Kakashi told him they were done for the day. The boy headed back towards the village, significantly slower than he had been in leaving it that morning.

When Sasuke arrived at his apartment once more, he slumped down on the couch, exhausted. The dark haired boy turned on the tv, only half paying attention to the screen. He thought about Iruka sensei's words, he needed to work on a secret skill or technique. Kakashi sensei was teaching him, but it didn't feel like enough. Sasuke wanted to build something of his own, not merely relying on the lessons he could learn from teachers. The boy considered his current state. With his sharingan in its new and advanced form, he could see any attack coming with ease, his speed however, left his ability to react effectively somewhat limited. Sasuke contemplated speed and reaction times and lightning chakra, mulling them all together as he absently flicked the channel to watch some Hunter X Hunter. It wasn't long before the boy had a brainwave.

The next day, when Gaara and his siblings came to wake the two, Sasuke was already awake. Surprisingly, so was Naruto. Both boys stepped out of their rooms fully dressed and groomed only a few moments after the knocking began, slightly more restrained this time. They looked at one another with surprise for a moment, then gave a mutual shrug.

"Stuff to do today?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto nodded. "You as well?"

"Yup."

The blonde boy answered the door, letting the sand shinobi inside while Sasuke again made coffee. Instead of joining the others for their chakra assisted super cuddle, Sasuke made a B-line straight for the nearby library. Dragging the confused looking librarian around the medical section until he found what he was looking for. Sasuke grinned, this was going to be interesting.

 **Day one, Sakura:**

Ebisu opened the door after the first knock, greeting the girl with a friendly smile. "Good morning Sakura, how are you doing today?"

The girl gave a small smile, slightly nervous. "I feel… like I wanna get stronger." She said quietly.

Ebisu nodded approvingly, a slight glint of mania touching his face. "That's what I like to hear." He said with a grin. "Now then, you've been training with Naruto, Sasuke and Kakashi for the better part of two months, let's see what you've learned, time for some sparring."

The two fought until Ebisu called a stop, the mania becoming more and more evident in him. "I'm impressed, Sakura. In a relatively short time frame, you've progressed a long way in your taijutsu, it's good to see the boys aren't going easy on you."

Sakura nodded, stony faced. The praise was nice, but she knew the truth. "Yeah, I know I've gotten better, maybe even above average now. But there are people in the exam who are taijutsu specialists or who have insane jutsu that make close combat nearly impossible. I need some kind of special move."

Ebisu nodded with a contemplative expression on his face. "Yes, I see the problem. Has Kakashi been teaching you any genjutsu?"

"One or two." Sakura muttered. "But that won't be enough either, a genjutsu attacker relies on having teammates to defend them in a fight to give them time to set things up, I won't have that advantage here."

Ebisu smiled. "It's good that you can see the problem so far in advance, it gives ample time to prepare. As it happens, I have been thinking this problem over myself. I spoke with the Hokage and Kakashi, they have given me permission to teach you an advanced ninjutsu."

Sakura gasped, this was better than she had been willing to hope for. "R-really!?"

Ebisu shrugged. "Everyone else in the tournament has either a Kekkei genkai, a special ability passed down through their clan, or a simply ridiculous amount of specialized training, at this point it seems only fair to teach you something."

Sakura beamed at the man, feeling almost giddy. "What am I learning!?"

Ebisu grinned back, his training mania now on full display. "A technique with a great degree of variability and flexibility, something that should allow a tactical thinker like you to plan around any problem they encounter. It's called, the shadow clone technique. Shall we get started?"

The two began to train, Ebisu drilling the girl in hand signs and complex chakra manipulations and the workings of light and dark chakra. They worked for hours on hours. By the end of the day, Sakura was able to produce a single functioning shadow clone.

"Hmm." Ebisu muttered, watching the new Sakura as it sparred with the original in order to prove it was not defective. "You're chakra control is exceptional." He started. "But the sheer quantity of chakra you have available is somewhat lacking. From now on, we're going to be doing daily training exercises to help you build up your chakra reserves, the shadow clone technique is perfect for your style, but it takes a lot more power to use effectively than you currently possess, we must fix that." Sakura nodded quietly, her expression determined.

As Sakura lay in bed that night, she mulled over the possible applications of her new technique, there were several she wanted to try. More than that though, the girl thought about the fights she had witnessed in the elimination round. She thought of Choji, whose thick defenses and improved hitting force had let him challenge Naruto, a significantly better fighter. She thought of Gaara, whose sand seemed to roll the two ideas of attack and defense all into one, leaving him virtually unstoppable. It seemed to Sakura that one of the best strategies for her in this exam was something defensive, but she had no jutsu that allowed for such a thing. Sakura examined the Jutsu she knew one at a time, the clone jutsu was out, the illusions offered the ability to hide among a number of illusions, but that was chancy, and she was pretty sure the byakugan would see through it. Sakura briefly considered the idea of surrounding herself with a phalanx of shadow clones to act as a shield, but no, that simply wasn't practical with her chakra level. That left the transformation jutsu, Sakura was pretty sure it was possible to reinforce the transformation jutsu with practice, allowing different practical applications. She thought she might have read somewhere about the Hokage's summoning ape, the monkey king Enma, who was supposed to be able to transform into a diamond hard combat pole. Sakura considered the possibility, then discarded it with a sigh, even if she managed a transformation hard enough to offer defense, it would leave her completely immobile, no better than a delaying tactic. The girl considered her options long into the night, before she had a single, beautiful idea.

Sakura got out of bed, dressing rapidly and leaping out of the open window. It was dark out, Sakura suspected it was around one in the morning, she made her way to Ebisu's dojo, knocking on the door urgently. She was answered a few minutes later by a weary and bedraggled looking Ebisu. "Sakura? What on earth is goin-" Sakura did not wait for him to finish, holding up a hand to silence him, she began to explain. There was a long silence after Sakura finished. Ebisu looked at the girl, stunned, then he began to laugh, a long, energized laugh. "Excellent Sakura!" He said excitedly, his fatigue forgotten. "Well then come on inside, we had better get started!"

 **Day one, Naruto:**

Naruto let his mind go blank as Kurama steered his body through the leaf village, for the most part just exploring, occasionally stopping to buy a snack of some description, ordering foods in the same deep, demonic voice that had so shocked the three ninja earlier. The boy barely noticed, it was blissful not to think, even if only for a few moments.

After some time, Naruto found himself back in the apartment, moving around the kitchen under the Kyuubi's command. _Kurama,_ The boy spoke inside his head, mildly curious. _What are you doing?_

 ** _Cooking,_** came the brusque reply.

 _You can cook?_ Naruto asked, surprised.

The beast used Naruto's shoulders to give a slight shrug. **_I've lived inside humans for a century Naruto, I picked up a thing or two watching them do it._**

 _Oh,_ Naruto replied, nonplussed. _What are you making?_

 ** _One of your mother's recipes,_** The fox replied, jerking Naruto back to awareness. **_She used to make it for your father when he was struggling with something, I thought you could use some._**

Naruto was honestly quite shocked, he felt a small tear trickle down his cheek _T-thank you Kurama. That sounds nice._ The fox grunted, continuing its work. It worked steadily, utterly ignoring the occasional tears that fell from Naruto's eyes as it finished up the meal, ladling the food into two bowls, one of which it carried over to Sasuke who, unnoticed by Naruto, was sitting on the couch watching anime. The dark haired boy accepted the food with a word of thanks. Kurama retrieved the second bowl and sat beside the other boy on the couch.

 ** _Go on, eat,_** The voice commanded inside Naruto's head. **_I'm not doing it for you._**

After a short pause, Naruto mustered the focus necessary to return to himself, he picked up his spoon, filling it with the rich, dark soup that Kurama had prepared, and lifted it to his mouth. The taste was almost secondary to Naruto, what was more important was the warmth that the food spread through him, helping him feel just a little more alive than he had a moment ago, he ate another spoonful, feeling that revitalizing warmth flood him again. _Wow, my mom was a good cook._

Before long, he had finished the whole bowl. He sat on the couch with his brother and watched the tv, feeling more alive than he had since that morning. Naruto shot Sasuke a sideways glance as they watched the screen, deciding to poke some fun at him. "I still think Gon is a better character." He said quietly.

Sasuke huffed in annoyance. "No way, Killua is way better, idiot."

The two argued amicably for a few minutes, before Naruto decided to turn in, he needed rest. The boy went to his room, dropped onto the pillows of his bed and fell asleep within seconds.

Naruto awoke early the next morning, meeting Sasuke as the door began to knock. That was slightly surprising, Sasuke wasn't normally a morning person.

Sasuke dashed off somewhere as Naruto and the sand ninja made their way once more to the third training ground. Gaara seemed less tense this morning, a little more relaxed. Maybe the other boy was finally beginning to trust Naruto not to pull this daily session out from under him.

The time passed quickly under the sand and after the three shinobi had given their thanks and taken their leave, Naruto was surprised to see a figure emerging from the treeline. It was a tall man, middle aged, with a mane of long, white hair. Naruto thought he recognized the man from somewhere.

Inside Naruto, Kurama let out a contemplative rumble. **_Jiraiya, one of the three legendary sages, what is he doing here?_**

Naruto looked at the old man, he seemed quite lost, a guidebook held in one hand and a sake bottle in the other. _Wait, THE Jiraiya?_ He asked. _Isn't he my godfather?_

 ** _Yes_** the beast murmured, **_Come to think of it, he is._**

 **Jiraiya:**

Jiraiya found the boy without too much difficulty, he was exactly where his tracking jutsu had said he would be. Third training ground, he wondered how much the boy had grown since he last saw him. Jiraiya had wanted to ask Hiruzen and Kakashi about how the kid had been developing over the last few months, but he had run into trouble on the road and was running late. The toad sage decided he might as well just find out for himself. Jiraiya waited in the trees when he was close enough, seeing the boy was with a trio of other shinobi, one of them seemed to be shaking hands with him, friends of his? He waited for the unfamiliar shinobi to leave, taking a moment to decide on his approach. For the moment it might be best if Naruto didn't know who he was, seeing him as some traveler rather than as a mighty ninja, it would help him get a sense of the boy.

Jiraiya took a few moments to adjust his clothes, tugging them out of place slightly and pulling out a few of his props, the confused traveler act was always more convincing if you pretended to be drunk. The mightiest ninja in the leaf stumbled out of the treeline, swaying slightly from side to side as he approached the boy, Naruto turned his head to look at him with a degree of curiosity. When Jiraiya got close enough to speak, he called out, slurring his words a little. "Heyy, Kid… Can you hel-"

"Hello uncle Jiraiya." The boy interrupted. "I think you're my godfather."

Had Jiraiya been twenty years younger, he might have let out a small trace of his surprise, instead he cocked his head blearily at the boy. "Whatsh that, boy? Whoshe Jirai-"

It all happened in less than a second, the boy began to glow, his skin and clothes lighting up to an incandescent gold. Naruto launched himself at the sannin, aiming a kick at the older man's ribs, Jirayia moved rapidly in response, bringing his arm up to block the boy's kick, moving his weight to the side to help diffuse the force of it, even so, the blow hurt, he suspected there would be a bruise tomorrow. Jiraiya jumped back to get some distance, the boy was fast. Just as quickly as it had started, the glow left Naruto's body once more and he stood looking at the older man with a smug expression on his face. "Yeah, you're Jiraiya."

 **AN: Honest to god, when I wrote Kakashi saying Sasuke was gonna have a bad time, I started hearing megalovania. As always, thanks for reading, feel free to review, I love it when people do that because it helps me feel like a valuable human being :P Kay thanks, bye!**


	33. Chapter 33: Preparations

**AN: So, first up, yes. The updates have slowed, this is only my second one in the last week, I want to thank you all for being cool about that, turns out studying medicine is hard when balancing it with a job. As promised, I am repaying your groovy coolness by making my chapers quite a bit chunkier every time I DO update. Secondly, to the two people who got curious enough about my other fics to read my homestuck story, I apologise, I like to think my writing ability has improved since then what with having written a seventy thousand word (if you include this chapter) fic and getting a beta reader to help me, for anyone who is curious, My beta is called 'notverycreativename' and is kinda awesome, they are currently slowly working through the fic with gardening shears and trying to get rid of my numerous grammar errors. A shout out as well to 'Mr Gizzard' and 'thatcrazyaoifan' for hearing out a few of my ideas and giving opinions. Anyhoo, lets do the thing.**

 **Side note: Make sure you read the previous chapter. It didn't give an update notice when I published it, so a bunch of you won't have read it.**

 **Jiraiya:**

The old ninja gazed down at the blonde boy in amazement, rubbing his sore forearm. This boy was even faster than Minato had been at that age. Eventually, Jiraiya sighed, shaking his head. "Yeah, fine," he said, smiling slightly. "I'm Jiraiya, hey kid, how's it been?"

The boy's response was unexpectedly curt. "What do you want, Jiraiya?"

The white maned ninja cocked his head slightly, taken aback "Well, Naruto, I wanted to check in with my godson, see how you are, make sure everything's okay, maybe give you a little specialized training if you-"

"No," the boy cut him off, his voice hard. "I want you to leave me alone."

"What?" Jiraiya asked, surprised. "Why?"

The blonde boy let out an angry little laugh. "Twelve years. You were my godfather for twelve years, and I didn't hear a single word from you. My parents were dead and no one would even tell me my mother's name, I didn't hear from you, the person they trusted to look after me. But you know what? That would have been okay on its own, I had a family, I had a mom and a dad and two of the best brothers in the world, and then nearly everyone I loved died in one night and I didn't hear from you." The boy's voice rose in pitch as he spoke, a barely repressed anger grating into him.

Jiraiya remembered that day, he remembered going to check on the Kyuubi's seal, he remembered the broken husk the boy had been, the pain the sight had caused him. "Naruto…" he murmured quietly. "I-I'm sorry… I-"

The boy cut him off, speaking as though there had been no interruption. "I spent five years recovering from that and you want to come back now and be my godparent? Leave, now."

The words cut the old man deeply, he took a moment to absorb the pain, letting his face set into a neutral expression before he spoke again, calm "…Fine, you don't want me as a friend or a godfather. I can accept that, it's understandable. Take me as a teacher then, I was your father's teacher, I can give you many of his techniques. He made me promise to look after you, no matter what."

"You already failed at that." Naruto shot at him "I don't want you as a teacher, go away."

Feeling stunned, Jiraiya stood, turning his back to the blonde boy and making his way back towards the village. Something was wrong, he needed to speak to Sarutobi.

 **Naruto:**

The boy sat on the grass covered floor, seething. The anger had hit him entirely from left field, he had neither expected it, nor been prepared. It galled him that the old sage, a man his parents had apparently cared for, had seemed to care so little for him. From deep inside Naruto, a voice spoke.

 ** _You know Naruto, if you wanted to learn a few of your parent's techniques, I could teach them to you._**

Naruto cocked his head slightly at this, _You could? How?_

The beast made a rumbling noise that Naruto equated to a heavy sigh, **_Same way I know your mother's recipes, I shared her body when she learned them. As for your father's abilities, admittedly I don't know them all, but he often spoke to Kushina about them while he was developing new jutsu, I know how many of them work from a mechanical sense at least._**

Naruto considered this for a while. He was still angry, wanting more than anything else to simply prove to Jiraiya that he wasn't needed. _Yeah,_ he said _Let's do it._

The voice that replied was approving, **_Good, now, I want you to head into the village, we'll need some balloons for this._**

 **Haku:**

Haku knocked on the door, trying to calm her nerves. "Yeah?" Kimimaro asked. "Who is it?"

"It's me," Haku replied quietly. There was silence for a few moments before the door slid open gently.

"Yeah? What is it Haku?" Kimimaro asked, curious.

Haku took a deep breath to steady herself. It was not a fair request she was about to make of her oldest friend and she knew it, but it was for Naruto. Haku steeled herself, looking into her friend's eyes. "I want your help to make Naruto a weapon." She said, trying to sound confident.

Haku had expected anger, maybe even hurt, from the boy. She knew that making weapons left her friend weakened, knew that it was often painful for him. Kimimaro only nodded, smiling slightly. "You care about Naruto that much, huh?" Haku blushed, nodding. The white haired boy sighed slightly. "Sure," he said. "Give me a week, okay?"

Haku hugged her friend tightly. "Thank you Kimi. Thank you so much."

Kimimaro grinned slightly. "It's fine, Haku. Anything to make you smile."

 **Team seven:**

The three Genin trained daily, Sakura working with Ebisu to strengthen herself and her new techniques every day from dawn to well past dusk.

Sasuke accepted his daily beatings from Kakashi as acceptable, seeing his speed growing noticeably every day as a result, every afternoon, they trained with lightning chakra as Kakashi prepared him to learn what would likely become his new ultimate technique. Every night, the boy fell to bed exhausted. Every morning, Sasuke would rise early with Naruto, sharing breakfast with the sand ninja before separating from them and making his way to the village library where he continued to study in the medical section, experimenting as he tried to form his secret skill.

Naruto trained with Kurama every day, listening to the creature's instructions as he worked every day on balloons filled with water, the three sand ninja gave the boy strange looks as they watched him working diligently under the sand. After a few days, he made the first balloon pop. Kurama moved him on to solid foam balls next, a far harder task. After nearly a week of this, Sasuke suggested they train together, offering to teach his sibling a skill picked up watching the elimination round. Naruto agreed, and Sasuke began to spend an hour every evening teaching Naruto the requisite chakra movement. It didn't take Naruto long to master. One afternoon, Naruto returned home to find Haku waiting for him, the pale girl had given Naruto a long, slim package, explaining its contents to him. Naruto had hugged his girlfriend tightly, kissing her in thanks. Haku had left, blushing.

With only two weeks to go before the tournament. Naruto mastered his first technique. Kurama had been surprised at his speed, and had moved from teaching him a technique of Minato, to teaching him a technique of Kushina.

 **Orochimaru:**

The lord of snakes watched team seven as they trained, considering his options. His guise as the fourth Kazekage served well to deflect suspicion, but his options had been reduced. The discovery of his subordinates during the elimination round had put the leaf village on guard, attacking now would be folly, but no matter, Orochimaru could already see a better plan forming in his mind. He stepped out of the village under darkness one night, heading out to recover the body of the original Kazekage before it could be found, he now had a much better use for that particular corpse.

 **The day of the tournament, Hinata:**

The girl was nervous, watching with trepidation as the other Genin slowly gathered alongside her in the center of the great stadium. They all looked so tough. Hinata took a deep breath, so what if they were tough? She wasn't weak herself now. Her father had been pleased when she made it through to the finals, so much so that he had taken it upon himself to personally train her for the entirety of the intervening month. She had been weak, father had made her strong. Hinata set her face in stoic calm and looked over her fellow competitors, taking each of them in. Shikamaru looked the same as he always had, yawning behind a hand as he approached and took his place, Hinata suppressed a smile at that, nothing ever seemed to faze him.

Next came Haku, Hinata liked Haku, the two of them had taken to going out together whenever the two of them had a moment free. The girl had absolutely no idea where to go to get things in the village and Naruto had done very little to remedy that, so she had taken it upon herself. It had not taken the two long to become friends. The pale girl seemed just a touch more uncertain than she normally did, was she nervous? Hinata gave her an encouraging smile, which she returned with a shy one of her own.

Hinata watched as the two remaining sand Genin arrived and took their places in the line, the red headed one, Gaara, seemed calmer than he had been during the elimination round, Hinata swallowed a lump of fear that began to form at the memory of his sand, she did not envy his opponent here.

Hinata greeted Neji with a small smile that he returned with a polite nod, the boy accompanying him. The fast taijutsu user who had defeated Kiba, offered hinata his hand as he passed, she shook it politely. "It is very nice to meet you Lady Hinata," The boy said. "Neji tells me you are a very good person." Hinata was taken slightly aback at this, turning her head to look across at her cousin. Neji blushed slightly, not looking at her.

"Damn it lee," Neji muttered quietly.

Hinata repressed a giggle, looking back to the green dressed boy. "Good luck Lee," She said with a smile. The boy grinned.

"You too," He replied, stepping into line.

Next came an old man that Hinata recognized as Kosuke, Haku's teammate, along with her friend, Kimimaro, both put a hand on Haku's shoulder as they passed.

Last to arrive was team seven, all heads turned as the three of them approached. For a moment, Hinata didn't recognize them, they were each so different, from the equipment they wore, to the way they carried themselves. Even Sakura, Hinata noticed, seemed like a totally different person, not least because she wore her hair tied back now, bound by a patch of mottled green cloth. Sakura carried a single scroll in a strap attached to her thigh, also, Hinata noted, she now wore one of the leaf village's standard issue flak jackets, it seemed even bulkier on her than it did on older ninja. As for Naruto and Sasuke, the two boys walked on either side of the girl, seeming to positively dwarf her with their sheer presence. Naruto carried a single long, cylindrical sheath on his back, a hilt that appeared reminiscent of that of a sword jutted out from it, on either hip, the boy carried what appeared to be two folded wooden fans, each eight inches long. Uniquely of the three, Sasuke carried no new equipment, although he had changed from his usual blue shinobi attire, to a slightly more striking black. Hinata swallowed yet another lump of fear, she didn't want to fight any of those three.

As the last of the Genin took their places, Iruka sensei moved to stand in front of them, speaking loudly enough to be heard not only by them, but by all of the thousands of people watching, he directed the twelve of them to a special observation platform to await their fights. The third stage had begun.

 **AN: Yay, now I get to do badass sequences, it's gonna be so fun! Anyhow, thanks for reading, hope you liked, feel free to review, comment, all that stuff, bye!**


	34. Chapter 34: Round 3, Part 1

**AN: Yay! 20000 views, that's kinda neat. Welp, on with the fic.**

"First fight," Iruka spoke into the silence that had begun to fill the stadium as the last of the Genin arrived, reading from a small piece of paper. "Neji Hyuga versus Rock Lee."

There was a loud whooping sound from the observation platform as Lee shouted exultantly. "Yes!" the boy exclaimed. "Exactly the match up I was hoping for!"

The Hyuga boy smiled slightly as he gazed at Lee. "You excited Lee? You get the chance to prove yourself that you were so desperate for, unfortunately that doesn't mean I'm going to hold back a single inch. This will be quick."

Far from irritating Lee, the jibe only seemed to energize the boy more. "Oh yes, I am ready! May the best ninja win!"

He reached out a hand to Neji, the Hyuga boy took it with a sigh "Just… No hard feelings, okay?"

Lee nodded, suddenly serious. "As long as you go all out, I will not be upset."

Neji hesitated, then nodded. "As you wish." The two made their way down to the ground below.

* * *

Up in the stands, Kakashi glanced across at his friend, Guy seemed almost as pumped as Lee was. "You know Lee doesn't stand a chance, right Guy? You had me fighting those two for nearly a week, Lee's good, I grant you, he's strong and fast, but Neji's faster, and his gentle fist is nearly flawless."

Guy looked across at Kakashi with a chuckle. "Kakashi, you know as well as I do that with enough effort, a weakling can keep up with a gifted shinobi, let's not count Lee out just yet."

The silver haired ninja was silent at that, looking down at the two young ninja appraisingly. "I see, he has a trump card."

Guy nodded, smiling "He has a trump card." He agreed.

* * *

The two shinobi stood across from one another, Iruka positioned between them with his arm raised. "Ready… Start." He called, dropping his hand.

Neither boy moved, both gazing across at one another. "Take them off." Neji said eventually. "Don't insult me by trying to fight with your weights still attached."

Lee nodded, stooping to remove the heavy bindings around his legs. "Turn on your byakugan," Lee replied. "I told you I would accept nothing less than your full power."

Neji sighed, then channelled his chakra, activating his visual jutsu. "Fine, Lee, but I've already told you, you don't stand a chance here," the boy shifted tack slightly. "Although, that's not your fault, I will freely admit that you're strong Lee, in trying to rival me, you've pushed yourself well beyond the limits that someone with your lack of talent should hold, you are a good shinobi, you're just unfortunate in that you have to fight me here."

Lee didn't respond, dropping the weights to either side, he stood, closing his eyes as he focused, stepping into the primary lotus. Lee launched himself at Neji, running so fast that the watching crowd gasped in astonishment. Neji swayed easily to the side, stepping out of the other boy's way and delivering a quick strike at his shoulder, Lee shifted himself just in time, moving the hit away from his chakra point, even so, it hurt. Lee turned to face his rival once more, grinning despite his injury.

Neji smiled sadly back "Lee, this is your full strength, your full speed, even with the lotus, you cannot beat me."

Lee's grin redoubled, he grit his teeth slightly as the pain of the primary lotus bit at him in the back of his mind. "Second gate," he said quietly. "Gate of rest, Open!"

Neji's eyes went wide. "Wait, what!? Since when?"

Lee did not waste time to respond, shifting forwards in a blur, his punch caught Neji in the gut, throwing him off his feet.

Lee waited politely while Neji pulled himself to his feet, coughing and gagging. "Okay, Lee, well done, you surprised me, good job."

Lee knew he had little time. "Third gate! Gate of life, open!" the words came out more as a scream than speech, the pain clear in every word. There was a burst of what looked like green fire as Lee unleashed his gate, the chakra flowing through his muscles becoming momentarily visible, the boy's skin began to turn an unhealthy, blotchy red.

To most of those watching, Lee didn't even seem to move, simply appearing in front of Neji. For his part, the Hyuga boy was barely able to react in time. Lee's fist rocketed forwards, striking a whirling wall of spinning chakra. Up in the stands Hiashi Hyuga let out the smallest of gasps, how had Neji learned the palm rotation? It was meant to be a head family secret.

Lee took a few measured steps back. "So even with my current strength, I cannot pierce that technique." He spoke to himself "That is most unfortunate."

Neji was staring at Lee in astonishment. "What the hell Lee?! Since when were you this fast?"

Lee gritted his teeth, this was going to hurt, he knew. "Fourth gate!" he shouted.

"No…" Neji muttered quietly. "Don't even."

"Gate of pain, open!" the boy let out a ragged scream as the chakra once again surged around him. In spite of all instincts telling him to charge, Lee moved with that same superhuman speed to a small patch of trees at the edge of the stadium. Lee took hold of one tree in a bear hug, it was an old, solid forest tree, its trunk at least a foot thick. With a roar, Lee strained against it, wrenching it free of the ground, roots and all. The boy turned to face Neji, holding the tree under one arm, pointing it at his rival like a battering ram, Lee charged. Neji did not hesitate, beginning his rotation. Wood struck shield with a thunderous crunch of grinding wood, chips of obliterated tree flew in every direction, obscuring the two from sight. When it finally cleared, Neji stood panting, looking across at Lee who still held the top segment of the tree, now missing near the entirety of its trunk, left only with the leafy canopy of branches. Lee shifted his hold on the stump, turning his back to Neji as he moved himself to face the remainder of it. The boy span himself around in one smooth, quick spin, swinging the leafy tree top around to hit Neji squarely in the everything. The exhausted ninja moved to dodge, too slow. The blow launched him a clear thirty feet, Neji came to a rest in a crumpled heap, he did not rise. Lee dropped the remainder of the tree, letting the gates close, his body hurt, he was sore and exhausted and would probably need to go see a healer, but the boy was happier than he'd ever been. The boy raised his arms to the sky and roared. The whole stadium roared with him.

* * *

Up in the stands, Kakashi turned to face his old friend, his mouth beneath the mask set in an angry line. "Guy, are you insane?" he hissed. "You don't teach the eight gates just to help some kid feel good about himself."

Guy looked across at Kakashi, his gaze baleful. "It's far more than that, Kakashi, besides, looking at your students, I don't really think you get to judge."

Kakashi went silent, hesitating for a long moment. "… Fine, but you better know what you're doing Guy."

The two of them turned back towards the ring in silence.

* * *

Lee staggered back up the stairs to the viewing platform, whereupon a medical ninja quickly took him aside to tend to his wounds. Every Genin was staring at him, some with shock, some with horror, it was a well known fact that Neji Hyuga had been a front runner for the winner of this tournament, for him to have been taken out, and in such a spectacular fashion, was simply incredible. Naruto spoke first, calling across to Lee. "Hey, Lee! That was awesome!"

The green clad ninja gave a tired thumbs up under the medic's ministrations. The tension in the room dissolved somewhat, a few turning their attentions back to the stadium, others continuing to eye Lee in awe.

"Question for the room," Sakura said quietly, her voice contemplative, all eyes turned to her. "A technique that massively boosts your strength and speed, but also leaves you so injured you need medical attention afterwards, is that the best technique in the world, or the worst technique in the world?"

"Well, it clearly worked for him," said Kankuro amicably.

"Did it though?" Shikamaru chimed in. "No offense Lee, that was impressive, but looking at the shape you're in, you'll be lucky to make it through the second round, even if you face off against a weakling like me."

"That doesn't matter," Lee said quietly, his tone one of exhausted euphoria. "I already beat Neji, now maybe people will stop looking down at people like me."

"People like you?" Sakura asked, confused.

Lee nodded. "Ninja who don't have talent, who aren't geniuses. Now everyone knows, effort is all that matters, destiny can be broken."

Sasuke stared at the boy. "Wow." he murmured. "Now I kinda feel small."

Hinata sniffled slightly, drawing the attention of a few others, she dashed forwards to hug Lee tightly. "Thank you Lee," she said quietly, her voice muffled against his shoulder. Lee blushed crimson and began to speak, but Hinata was already dashing for the stairs.

At the entrance to the medical room, Hinata ran into her father. Hiashi cast a stern glance at his daughter as he saw her arrive, eventually giving a slight nod, approving. "So you came too Hinata, come to think of it, it's good that you are here. I think it's best we talk to him together."

Hinata nodded, stepping into the medical room. Neji lay on his side, one side of his body bound up in hard bandages, that tree strike had been brutal. The boy looked bitterly up at his cousin and his master as they approached him. "I'm sorry, I failed the clan." He said angrily, averting his eyes after a moment.

Hiashi shook his head. "You performed a palm rotation complete enough to grind through an entire tree, do you know how difficult that is?"

Neji nodded, then grit his teeth in pain. "Yes, I am very much aware of how hard it was."

Hinata spoke up timidly. "Lee's really happy right now, he could barely walk when he got back to us though."

Neji gave a short, humorless laugh. "Of course he's happy, he finally beat me, the gifted Hyuga prodigy, I'd be happy too."

Hinata answered softly. "He said it was proof that destiny was breakable."

Another laugh. "Is that what he says?" Neji asked, his voice bitter. "Well good for him, I just wish all destinies could be broken like that."

"You mean the mark." Hiashi said, an indefinable note to his voice.

Neji fought to keep control of his face, holding his expression calm even as tears began to trickle down his face, he gave a single, quick nod.

The older man crossed his arms with a sigh. "You know I would never use that on you, Neji, never." In spite of all his control, the man's voice held a tone of sadness.

When Neji responded, it was with far less of his usual calm "Why not?" He asked angrily. "You used it on my father."

Hiashi shook his head. "No, Neji, I did not. Your father sacrificed himself for me of his own will, going against my express orders to do so. I would never let my family die for me."

The statement shook Neji to his very core, leaving him deeply uncertain. "Then… then why is he dead?" he asked hesitantly.

Hiashi took a moment, the memory suddenly fresh in his mind, even here and now, it would not do to show emotion. In a few seconds, he had regained control. Hiashi sat on the bed across from Neji and his daughter and told the two a very sad tale.

* * *

Neji lay in his bed, stunned. "I… I don't know what to say."

Hiashi rose tiredly from his seat, crossing the distance to the boy in a few strides, he reached out a hand and gently pulled the headband off of Neji's head, revealing the sealing brand of the Hyuga house. Neji flinched as it was exposed, flinched again as his uncle pressed a palm against it. The lord of the Hyuga spoke. "Needless to say, I owe your father a great debt, one under which I promised myself that your mark would never be leveraged against you. I see now that this was not nearly enough, the very fact that the mark existed was too much harm on its own." As the man spoke, Neji became aware of a pain in his temple, a feeling like that of cutting, of flesh tearing. "As you know, there is no known way for the seal to be removed and for that, I am sorry. However, there is a way for its effects to be neutralized. The mark I am placing on you now will tell any main household member that the mark is not to be used on you, either for death, or for discipline. This is a seal of your adoption into the main branch of the Hyuga house, as my son, if you are willing."

Neji felt a trickle of blood flowing down his face as Hiashi pulled his hand away, having finished carving the new seal into the young ninja's head. Neji closed his eyes, unsure whether to laugh or cry. "Thank you… lord Hiashi." He said quietly, his voice faint as he continued trying to process this.

Hiashi Hyuga shook his head. "Please, never call me that again, from now on, I am merely your uncle, please call me such."

The lord Hyuga turned at this and strode from the room, his expression as calm as if he had simply been feeding pigeons. Hinata moved to a medical drawer and found some clean bandages, she moved to Neji's side and quietly began binding his bleeding forehead.

"So," Neji spoke eventually as the girl worked. "I guess we're equals now, huh, Hinata?"

The girl shook her head, a tear trickling down her cheek "We always were," she replied. "Dummy."

* * *

 **Naruto:**

Iruka returned to the center of the arena, reading from his list for a second time. "Second fight, Kankuro of the sand versus Naruto Namikaze."

Naruto glanced across at the dark clad sand ninja with a grin. "Well this should be fun." He said, holding out a hand. "Best man win?"

Kankuro grasped the proffered hand, flashing a grin of his own. "You know it," he murmured.

The two made their way down to the field, positioning themselves to stand across from one another, each boy tense with anticipation.

Iruka raised his arm, eyes flitting between the two young ninja. "Ready… start." He swept his arm downwards, jumping back to clear the area as the fight began.

Naruto wasted no time in starting off his offensive, from the straps on each hip, the boy drew the two small wooden rectangles, flicking them open into eight inch long fans, only slightly larger than the more elaborate ceremonial versions. Kankuro cocked his head to the side, curious, watching the other boy intently. Naruto held his arms out wide, the fans fully extended, before sweeping them together to meet in the middle, pointing at Kankuro. The sand ninja's eyes went wide and he threw himself to the side, slinging a chakra thread out to the nearest wall to help pull himself out of the way, even so, the great gust of wind still hit him hard enough to throw off his landing, the boy sprawled awkwardly, barely having enough time to pick himself up before another blast knocked him off his feet.

* * *

Up in the stands, Temari of the sand let out a low gasp of shock, that was her technique, when had Naruto learned it? Not only that, but he was doing it with smaller fans, allowing him to be faster with it, just what was going on here?

* * *

Shakily, Kankuro drew himself to his feet. Without hesitation, Naruto fired off yet another blast at the boy. Kankuro gathered chakra in his feet rapidly, leaping high into the air, a maneuver he only managed because of his extensive training against his sister. He landed some way away, just outside the range where he guessed the wind blasts would begin to dissipate. "Where the hell did you learn my sister's technique!?" He shouted at the blonde boy.

Naruto smiled. "Sasuke picked it up when he fought her, he taught me the basics and I made one or two adjustments."

Kankuro nodded, noting the fans the other boy carried. "Smaller fans, faster," He said, understanding.

The blonde ninja smiled. "Yeah," he shrugged. "A little weaker though."

The desert shinobi reached behind his back, pulling the wrapped parcel free of its binding with one hand, with the other, he detached a small scroll from a sheath by his hip. Naruto stared, more than a little nonplussed. Was that a wooden puppet?

Kankuro grinned, noticing the direction of the other boy's gaze. "This is crow," he said, gesturing at the lifeless doll. "and this," he threw the scroll to the ground, where it rolled open, a puff of smoke revealing a second puppet. "This one is called black ant."

Naruto tensed, uncertain. This was clearly supposed to be some kind of jutsu, but he'd never heard of a jutsu involving puppets before, what was this guy planning?

Kankuro extended his hands, a few fingers flexing and twitching, Naruto saw one of the puppets twitch ever so slightly.

The boy dodged more out of reflex than any awareness of an attack, stepping to the side as a small black needle whistled through the air beside him. _Great,_ Naruto thought. _More needles._

Kankuro struck with surprising speed, his puppets launching themselves bodily at Naruto with an unsettling clacking of joints in motion. Naruto swung his fans, each towards a different puppet, Kankuro reacted quickly, Crow dodged in time, Black Ant, the bulkier of the two, was not as lucky. The blast of wind struck the puppet in its great barrel of a chest, knocking it backwards. One of its arms came loose of its housing. An arm, Naruto noted, that had a long, wickedly sharp looking blade concealed in the joint.

Crow closed the distance to Naruto and opened its mouth wide, firing a spray of needles at very close range. Naruto threw himself to the side, landing hard on the ground. The blonde boy picked himself up quickly, but not quickly enough. Above him, the black ant's barrel chest swung open, revealing a hollow compartment, it dropped down on the boy, scooping him up inside it, the compartment door swung closed again with an audible click.

"And I win." Kankuro said, grinning "That puppet's inside is layered with seals to block hand signs. You can't form jutsu in there and he sure as hell isn't strong enough to bust out of it on his own."

From the sidelines, Iruka nodded. "I assume you have some kind of finishing technique?"

Before he had even spoken, the Crow puppet had begun to disassemble itself, arms disconnecting from it to expose yet more of those wicked blades, they began to float towards the Black Ant.

"I see." Iruka said. "Once you have that jutsu in place, you win." Kankuro nodded, showing off a winning smile.

Naruto sat in the dark box and sighed, he had really been hoping to keep his new weapon a secret until at least the second round. _Ah well,_ he thought to himself, _have to give Kankuro credit, he forced my hand here._ Naruto placed a hand on the hilt at his back, remembering when Haku had given him the weapon. He gave a small grin, time to test it out.

The hovering blades moved gently through the air, Kankuro still smiling triumphantly. Just as they were about to reach their positions, there was a small noise, almost like the sound of scissors cutting through paper, there was a slight burst of green light as the Black Ant was sliced neatly in two. Naruto emerged, grinning, a long alabaster sword held in one hand. "What." Kankuro asked, deadpan.

Naruto chuckled slightly. "You ever heard of chakra metal?" He asked casually, giving the sword another swing as he sliced the Black Ant through again, cutting the head into even halves. Kankuro nodded mutely, staring at the white blade. "Well then," Naruto continued, smiling "You probably know that what makes chakra metal so much better at conducting chakra than regular steel is the fact that it has been treated with organic matter, after all, living or organic stuff is way better at holding chakra than inorganic stuff, that's why we make paper bombs and containment scrolls out of paper. Well Kankuro, as it turns out, a sword made entirely out of organic matter is even better at conducting chakra than one made of chakra metal."

Kankuro flicked his fingers, the blades positioned all around Naruto launched themselves at him as one. Naruto picked up the most intact section of the Black Ant's barrel chest, holding it above himself as the blades impacted against it, sending a number of small jolts up his arm. Naruto threw the thing to the side and launched himself at what remained of the Crow puppet, projecting chakra from his feet to move as fast as he could. The Crow opened its maw in preparation to fire another volley, but Naruto was already behind it, his blade raised. "W-what is that made of?" Kankuro asked, feeling numb.

There was a glint in Naruto's eye as he replied. "Human bone." He answered, swinging the blade down and slicing the Crow neatly down the middle.

* * *

Up in the stands, a large man stroked his close cropped beard, one hand convulsively flexing as it gripped his knee. "I want one." Said Asuma Sarutobi quietly.

Sitting beside him, Kurenai Yuhi placed a gentle hand on Asuma's shoulder with a sigh. "I know you do."

* * *

Watching from the special platform, Kimimaro felt a slight pressure as a small from pressed itself against him. "Thank you Kimi!" Haku said, ecstatic.

Kimimaro smiled, lifting a hand to stroke his friend's hair. "No problem Haku." He murmured.

* * *

Naruto turned to Kankuro, his blade raised casually to shoulder height, the boy shifted slightly, ready to launch himself at his opponent. Kankuro raised his arms quickly. "I concede." He said, more than a little nervous.

Naruto grinned, sliding the sword back into its sheath at his shoulder. "Maybe remember next time that a seal that just blocks hand signs doesn't necessarily stop all techniques," he said. "This wasn't even my only option in there."

Kankuro nodded dumbly, still in shock. The blonde boy stooped slightly to collect his fallen fans, returning them to the sheaths at his waist, before taking hold of Kankuro's arm and guiding him back to the viewing platform, leaving the broken shells of the puppets behind them.

When Iruka stepped forwards again, it was only with a small degree of shock. When he had said the Genin needed to find themselves trump cards, he had been meaning slight tactical variations, maybe minor new jutsu, Naruto appeared to have over done it slightly. He cleared his throat, reminding himself he still had a job to do. "Next fight," he called out. "Sasuke Uchiha versus Kimimaro Kaguya."

* * *

The dark haired boy nodded, leaning back as he stretched slightly, feeling a slight crack in his shoulders. The two opponents made their way down to the pitch in silence, standing across from one another almost casually.

"Ready…" Iruka spoke, this time stepping back to make some distance before the fight even started. "Fight." He called out from a safe way away, swinging his arm down.

Sasuke moved in a blur, not striking, but instead running around Kimimaro in a tight circle, the boy focused his chakra, activating his sharingan and letting the world slow to a crawl around him, Kimimaro seemed for all the world not to move, still standing casually as the other boy raced around him.

* * *

Watching from the stands, Guy gave Kakashi an appraising look. "And just how did you manage to build up the boy's speed that much in just a month?" He asked.

Kakashi did not look away from the fight, keeping his voice level as he replied. "Maito Guy's special recuperative training regime."

Guy laughed.

* * *

Sasuke made the first move, closing the distance to Kimimaro from behind, he threw a punch at the boy's back, barely managing to pull back as a spike of bone erupted from Kimimaro's skin, piercing the air precisely where the punch would have landed. The dark haired boy jumped backwards for distance, eyeing the other boy carefully.

Kimimaro grinned, turning to face Sasuke. "You know, you really shouldn't have given me so much time to get myself set up." He said, an evil glint in his eye.

Sasuke felt the tip of the spike pressing against his foot and kicked off just in time, utilizing all the ingrained reaction speed Kakashi had beaten into him and every microsecond of advantage the sharingan gave, he moved away from the spear of bone just in time as it grew out of the ground rapidly. Sasuke considered his options, so, Kimimaro had spent the fight spreading his bone power under the ground, Sasuke had to assume the structures went in every direction, he had to get some distance. To his own perception, the dark haired boy seemed to float in midair as the force of his jump held gravity momentarily at bay, the problem being that he had no way of changing direction now and the bone spike was still growing at him. Sasuke reoriented himself mid jump, grasping the spike of bone in one hand as it shot towards him, the boy gritted his teeth as the shaft changed itself under his fingers, becoming rough, serrated. Sasuke pushed off from the spike, launching himself a good distance away from the other boy. As Sasuke landed, he prepared himself to jump again at a moment's notice, unsure of how far Kimimaro's bone field might extend.

Sasuke stood there for a tense few seconds, his eyes fixed on the pale haired boy, nothing, it didn't seem like the other boy's range reached this fa-

Another spike of bone shot out of the ground between Sasuke's legs, the boy jumped again, this time to the side, propelling himself full force at the stadium wall. He had to assume Kimimaro could reach him wherever there was soft earth, that being the case, he would use the hard stone of the stadium wall as his footing.

The two ninja gazed at one another, Sasuke calculating, Kimimaro smiling mildly. The two spikes of bone slowly began to retract back into the earth. The white haired boy still hadn't moved, Sasuke was pretty sure that whatever technique he was using was rooting him to the spot, there had to be a spike of bone or something going from Kimimaro's foot to the ground, allowing him to control the field. Experimentally, Sasuke threw a shuriken at the other boy. Almost casually, a spike of bone rose from the ground to deflect it, sinking back down as though it had never been there. In response, Kimimaro raised one hand to the side, swinging it across his body in a wide arc. Sasuke stepped to the side as the tiny shards of bone hit the wall, leaving cracks in the solid stonework. Ranged combat was not a good idea.

Sasuke took a different tack, rapidly forming hand signs. Kimimaro laughed.

Sasuke filled his lungs and expelled the great flame in one giant burst.

Fire style: Fireball Jutsu!

The fireball roared towards Kimimaro, who turned to face it, looking utterly unconcerned.

Sasuke did not waste a second, in the few seconds that the fireball concealed him from view, he summoned a clone next to him, then he launched himself after the fireball, readying a third jutsu.

The fireball struck Kimimaro with explosive force, scarring the earth all around him, when the dust cleared, the boy stood, unharmed, his entire body encased in a shell of solid bone. Sasuke landed behind Kimimaro unnoticed, his body having taken the shape of a small rock. Kimimaro fixed his eyes on Sasuke's clone, spears of alabaster rocketing from the earth to impale the distant apparition, the hits connected and, for the briefest of moments, Kimimaro worried that he had killed the boy. At almost the exact same moment, there were two puffs of smoke, one as the clone vanished, one as Sasuke resumed his human shape, less than a meter behind Kimimaro. The boy reacted, just a moment too slow, a spine of bone shooting from his armored back towards the dark haired boy. Sasuke was ready. The boy's hand began to glow a brilliant blue, as if he were holding a bolt of lightning clutched in his fingers. Sasuke brought his hand forward in a fast jab against the spike. Lightning met bone with a violent crack, the bone split under the attack as Sasuke's hand continued moving forwards, piercing the armor encasing the pale boy, stopping just short of cutting through skin. Sasuke let his hand hover just above Kimimaro's spine, a few inches from his heart. "That could have been a killing blow." Sasuke murmured quietly. Kimimaro nodded with a sigh, the bone all around the field began to flow back into the pale boy, the armor crawling back slowly.

Iruka shook his head, numb, what was with these kids? He was pretty sure HE couldn't have won that fight. He shook himself "Winner, Sasuke." He called out into the silence.

* * *

Guy chuckled slightly as he looked across at Kakashi "You know, teaching the chidori to a kid is pretty reckless." He said, teasing.

"Shut up Gai." Kakashi said, annoyed,

 **AN: Whoo, 5000 words, okay, thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed, feel free to review, yada yada, bye!**


	35. Chapter 35: Round 3, Part 2

**AN: Quick note, first up, thank you guys for your recent reviews. In particular I would like to give a quick reply to ssscds, I would normally reply via private message, but ssscds doesn't appear to actually have an account, so I can't PM them. I just wanted to say thanks for your words. I find it really flattering that people are starting to binge read my fic and honestly, if a bisexual Naruto is the only problem you have with the story, I'll take that as a win and thanks not only to you but to everyone who doesn't particularly like the yaoi for sticking with it regardless.**

 **Secondly, I was asked a very good question recently by a reader that I think should be mentioned publicly, I was asked if Naruto being named after his father had lead to any assassination attempts. The answer is yes, but only sort of. Naruto grew up in the Uchiha compound as a young child, literally surrounded by high level shinobi, a few of the more stupid people with grudges against his father did try to kill him, for the most part, they died horribly without Naruto being any the wiser. After the Uchiha died, there were a few more attempts, but Naruto was being closely watched by the likes of Kakashi, Jiraiya, the Hokage, Ebisu and Sasuke, so again, people who tried anything never even got close.**

 **All that being said, on with the fic.**

 **Hinata:**

Hinata returned from the medical room just in time to hear her name called, wiping her eyes to clear away the tears as she approached the others.

"Next fight," Iruka said into the silence. "Hinata Hyuga versus Gaara of the sand."

Hinata felt her heart plummet. Slowly, the dark haired girl turned her head to face the pale sand shinobi. _Oh god, why, why did it have to be me?_ For his part, the red headed boy gave Hinata a shy smile, raising his hand to waist height in a small wave. The kind gesture did not make Hinata feel any better, she swallowed a lump in her throat and tried to force herself to calm down.

"It's okay," the pale boy spoke, moving towards Hinata and stopping just a few feet away. "No matter what happens, I promise I won't hurt you, okay?"

Hinata looked into Gaara's eyes, steeling her resolve. "I-I'm fine," the girl said timidly. "D-don't go easy on me, I want to win or lose on my own strength."

The boy nodded hesitantly, seeming almost as scared as Hinata felt. "O-okay… I think I can do that."

The two made their way down to the arena in awkward silence, both more than a little uncomfortable in the proximity of a stranger and both too polite to say anything. Both young ninja stood across from one another. Again, Iruka stepped a distance away before beginning the fight.

"Ready… fight." He swung his arm down and the fight began.

Sand began to flow from the gourd at Gaara's back, pooling around his feet and forming into a vague circle around him. Hinata took up a fighting stance, calming her mind. She was not weak, she knew this. Her father had made her much stronger in the last month, new techniques, greater speed, she was ready. Hinata channeled her chakra, activating her byakugan.

The first wave of sand flowed forwards toward Hinata, growing from the circle around Gaara like a thin tendril. Hinata channeled a small amount of chakra into her hand and swatted the sand away, taking a single step forwards. It was not gentle fist, gentle fist relied on projecting thin blades of chakra from the body like scalpels or acupuncture needles, this was more straightforward, she had simply reinforced her whole hand. The sand tendril reformed itself, moving to attack Hinata a second time, this time from behind, Hinata swatted it aside once more, taking another step towards the boy. A second tendril rose from the small circle, moving for Hinata in unison with the first, she deflected again, taking another step closer, she only needed to get close enough for one strike, it was fine to stay on the defensive until then. The sand changed tactics, reshaping from its two thick, grasping tendrils, to at least a dozen tiny little whip like strands. Each one jabbed towards Hinata in perfect unison, impossible to block them all unless…

Hinata let herself go limp, relaxing her body, this was the first of the techniques her father had drilled into her over the last month, Hinata allowed herself to spin gently, emanating her chakra from every point in her body.

The tendrils struck against the spinning blue orb of energy, dissipating as the wildly moving stream of energy threw sand in every direction, concealing the girl from view. Hinata burst forwards from the cloud of grit, emerging just a foot or so in front of Gaara. Hinata moved with all the speed she could muster, her palm encased in more strengthening chakra, Gaara's sand moved to defend, but the blow pierced through the impromptu defense, striking the boy in the chest.

The result was not as Hinata had hoped, the boy did not react, what should have been a one hit knock out barely even seemed to faze him. As the sand moved to trap Hinata's arm, she wondered where she had gone wrong. Then she realized, her byakugan showing her what should have been obvious from the start. She saw the thin shell of solid sand that covered Gaara from head to toe, infused with just enough chakra to be nearly indistinguishable from his skin. Hinata cursed herself, she had been so focused on blocking the incoming attacks that she hadn't noticed the trap. Hinata let out a small gasp of pain as the sand continued to tighten around her wrist, tendrils reaching out to ensnare her feet and other hand. The sand around her striking hand continued to tighten, seemingly indifferent to Hinata's pain. Gaara's fist struck the squeezing sand full force, dissipating it and allowing her to pull her hand back.

"I am sorry she hurt you." The boy muttered quietly, seeming genuinely upset. "We are trying to get better, but I think she forgets sometimes. I'm afraid you do lose though. I could have used that blow to crush your trachea. Do you concede?"

Hinata hesitated, then nodded. "I concede," the girl said quietly. The sand around Hinata's ankles and wrist began to loosen, allowing her to step backwards out of range.

From the sidelines, Iruka called out. "Winner, Gaara of the sand."

The two made their way back to the viewing platform, talking quietly to one another as they walked.

Iruka watched the two go before reading his next item "Next fight, Sakura Haruno versus Kosuke Maruboshi."

 **Sakura:**

Sakura glanced across at the old man, a little piece inside her head screaming a little, this was a worst case scenario. How was she supposed to fight someone like Kosuke? In the first round no less, he was the only opponent she hadn't been able to devise countermeasures for. Her panic was short lived. Kosuke smiled gently, raising his hands to his mouth to project his voice as he called out. "I forfeit!"

The Genin all around the old man stared, Haku and Kimimaro looking up at him in shock. Kosuke chuckled a little. "Now now, do you kids really think someone as strong as me is still a Genin for no reason? I never wanted to pass this exam, I only signed on to give young Haku and Kimimaro a chance at becoming Chunin."

Down in the arena, Iruka shrugged a little. "Winner, Sakura Haruno." He called out. "Next fight, Shikamaru Nara versus Haku Yuki."

 **Haku:**

Haku and the tired looking boy gazed at one another appraisingly for a few seconds, Haku knew Shikamaru by face, he was one of Naruto's friends and the two had spoken once or twice. After a few moments, Shikamaru groaned. "Well this blows, I hate having to fight girls."

Haku cocked her head slightly, curious. "Why not? Do I scare you?" She teased.

Shikamaru sighed slightly. "Nah, It's just that girls always make you feel guilty for not going easy on them, you know?"

Haku's eyes narrowed slightly in annoyance. "Sucks to be you then, huh? If it helps, I don't care if you go easy, I'll win either way."

Shikamaru gave a tired shrug. "Ahh… whatever, let's just go fight, okay?"

"Sure." Haku said quietly. She had made her decision, it might not be kind, but she was going to DESTROY this boy.

The two ninja stood opposite one another. Between them, Iruka raised a hand, he didn't move out of the way this time, which Haku took as yet another annoyingly insulting barb. A small part of her pitied this dark haired young man, he was only deserving of a small portion of the impending beat down.

"Ready… Fight."

Haku wasted no time, she knew about Shikamaru's shadow technique, having seen it in action once during the elimination round, it could be an issue if not handled swiftly. Haku lunged forwards, racing towards Shikamaru with a speed that dwarfed all but Lee's inhuman agility. Shikamaru had barely completed the hand sign when the first tiny needle jammed itself into his hand, sliding neatly between muscle strands and veins to pierce only flesh. His shadow ability dissipated as quickly as it had formed, his focus broken.

Haku did not hold back, perhaps this was not very kind, but she did not feel very kind in that moment. The yelping form of Shikamaru disappeared under a continuous barrage of precise, high speed strikes, his every attempt to retaliate countered by another needle lodging itself in the offending limb. Shikamaru may have been an exceptional tactician, but there was no reacting to an assault of such sheer speed. The boy crumpled to the ground in a heap after less than thirty seconds.

"Winner, Haku Yuki." Iruka said from behind them.

Before walking casually back to the observation stand, Haku turned to Iruka with a slight smile. "Sorry, but would you mind taking a step or two back next time? I don't want to catch you in the crossfire."

Iruka gave a small chuckle, then nodded.

* * *

The small group of gathered Genin watched as Haku slowly made her way back to them, Naruto grinning in amusement.

Kankuro broke the silence first. "So…" he said, giving Naruto a sidelong look "Your girlfriend's kinda cool."

There were one or two chuckles around the small room.

* * *

Iruka spoke once again to the stadium at large. "Remaining combatants, Rock Lee, Naruto Namikaze, Sasuke Uchiha, Gaara of the sand, Sakura Haruno and Haku Yuki. We will now commence the second round. Any combatant who received injuries during the first round have been allowed the choice between continuing after exactly five minutes medical attention in order to simulate battlefield conditions, or forfeiting and receiving more complete immediate treatment. All candidates have chosen to continue after limited medical care. First fight, Gaara of the sand versus Sakura Haruno."

 **AN: I may have made myself laugh a little when I realized that Haku basically beat Shikamaru, the master strategist, with the equivalent of a Zerg rush. It made me chuckle.**


	36. Chapter 36: Round 3, Part 3

**AN: Nothin to see here, let's do this!**

 **Jiraiya:**

"First fight, Gaara of the sand versus Sakura Haruno."

From his position beside the Hokage, Jiraiya glanced across at the covered face of the fourth Kazekage.

"That Gaara boy, he's your son, correct? Is he strong?"

The blue clad ninja nodded, not taking his eyes from the field. "The girl doesn't stand a chance," there was a strange note in the Kazekage's voice as he spoke, somewhere between pride and distaste. Jiraiya turned his eyes to the field with a shrug, he couldn't say he disagreed.

 **Sakura:**

The girl had to admit, she was nervous. Gaara was a strong enemy, strong enough to take out someone like Hinata with little effort, but she was determined. More than that, she had a plan. Sakura squared her shoulders, setting her lips in a determined line as she made her way towards the stairs leading to the pitch. As Sakura passed her teammates, they both tried to give her a little boost. Naruto gripped her shoulder for a second or two, giving her an encouraging smile, it helped a little. Sasuke followed Sakura towards the stairs, taking her hand in his and walking with her to the edge of the arena. As Sakura tugged her hand free, the boy spoke softly.

"You can do this Sakura, I know you can."

Sakura smiled a little at this, pulling her boyfriend into a quick hug, before moving to the center of the arena.

Gaara stood opposite her, face showing nothing more than slight concern. Sakura took a deep breath to calm herself. She was ready, she could do this.

Iruka stood a good few meters off to one side, very much staying out of the way. He raised one hand, letting it drop as he spoke. "Ready… Fight."

Sand flowed from that strange gourd once more, surrounding Gaara with a small circle that was simultaneously a dangerous weapon and an adamant defense. Sakura gulped, but did not hesitate. She reached up to the zipper of her newly acquired flak jacket, drawing it downwards and slipping the piece of gear off of herself. There were a few moments of silence as the stadium as a whole gazed in confusion and perhaps a little horror at what Sakura wore concealed underneath the jacket.

"A-are those… paper bombs?" Gaara asked, his head cocked to one side, his tone surprised.

Sakura grinned. "Yup." It had taken her a long while to construct, even with Ebisu sensei's help, but she had eventually managed to piece her new weapon together properly. The item in question was a series of string nets, each one tied together to cling tight to Sakura's torso. Each net held a number of paper bombs tight against the girl. A number of small strings dangled from her waist. Sakura took advantage of the momentary confusion to perform the necessary hand signs, activating her newest jutsu.

Shadow clone jutsu!

A single duplicate of Sakura appeared beside her, a look of determination on its face as it leaped backwards, making as much distance as possible. With no further elaboration, Sakura charged forwards, letting out a blood curdling roar as she did so. Gaara's sand extended towards her in thick tendrils, reaching out to ensnare her. Sakura reached down to her waist and pulled at the first of the dangling strings, feeling the outermost layer of explosive tags coming loose around her, held in a rough shape by the net. The tendrils closed in on Sakura, less than a foot away, as she ran, the girl made a new set of hand signs, focusing her chakra and praying that this would work.

As the reaching arms of sand closed on her, Sakura transformed, taking on the shape of a perfect sphere, roughly eight inches across, and seemingly made from solid steel. The majority of the paper tags, still held tight around the girl's body, transformed with her. Those that had been loosened in the seconds before, did not.

The sand closed around the sphere, encasing Sakura in a tight grip. Some distance away, the shadow clone activated the paper bombs.

Haruno style: Earth Shaker Jutsu!

It had all happened so fast that to the untrained eye, it simply looked as if Sakura had exploded. The arms of sand disintegrated, scattered to the wind by sheer concussive force, the metal sphere that was Sakura was launched forwards by the blast, landing just ten or so feet from Gaara. Sakura disengaged the transformation, regaining her human form. When she emerged, she was wearing a manic grin. Gaara flinched.

It had been surprisingly easy to learn how to reinforce the defensive strength of the transformation jutsu, Ebisu had advised that it was easier if one took on a form of roughly equal weight to their original body, so Sakura had planned accordingly, finding a sphere of the perfect size and weight, roughly eight inches, or forty two kilograms. The rest had been a matter of practice, learning to hold the form, becoming familiar with the shape and feel of the steel, it hadn't been long before Sakura was as hard as steel in that form. From there it had been a simple matter of figuring out how to keep attacking as an inanimate object, child's play.

Sakura took advantage of the momentary absence of Gaara's sand arms to pull another string, loosening a second set of explosives, this one positioned at the front of her body in order to blast her backwards away from Gaara when it detonated. The girl dashed in as close as she could, making hand signs once more, she made it to within a few feet of the boy before his sand once again ensnared her. Sakura took on the form of steel once more, the clone activating the tags.

There was a great flurry of noise and sand as Gaara was caught by the point blank explosion. For her part, Sakura was thrown backwards to safety, landing some thirty feet from the boy.

* * *

Up in the stands, under the disguise of the fourth Kazekage, Orochimaru rubbed his eyes, trying to clear them, for a second there, he had been convinced he saw a familiar figure down there. He looked again and saw that yes, this girl did indeed have pink hair, not blonde.

In the chair beside him, Sarutobi Hiruzen chuckled, murmuring to Jiraiya. "Reminds you of Tsunade a little, doesn't it."

Jiraiya laughed, Orochimaru allowed himself a fond grin under his mask. The resemblance was indeed, quite striking.

* * *

Sakura allowed her steel shell to dissolve once more, gazing intently at the dust cloud that still hung where Gaara had been. As the cloud slowly cleared, Sakura felt her heart sink. _Damn, there goes that strategy._ The red haired boy had formed his sand into a sphere around himself, surrounding his entire body with an impenetrable wall. Sakura wondered just how much damage she had managed to do under that sand. Probably not enough. She squared her shoulders.

As the girl watched, more sand slowly began to coalesce atop the sphere, forming into a tiny white ball marked with a small dot of blue and black. Sakura blinked, was that an eyeball? Without warning, a spear of sand shot from the ground, aiming not for Sakura, but at the clone, dissipating it into smoke. Sakura winced, if Gaara had figured out that she needed the clones to activate the explosives, her whole strategy was ruined. She needed to give herself time to think. As the eye turned on her, its attention focused now on finishing the real Sakura, she made another set of hand signs.

Clone Jutsu!

Ebisu's training had been harsh, taxing Sakura to her limits every day, but it had been worth it, as a result, she now had far more chakra to play around with. All around her, the illusionary clones burst into existence, at least thirty of them. Without missing a beat, Sakura dropped to her knees, allowing the illusions to scurry around her, confusing the location of the original. As the clones milled around her, Sakura summoned another shadow clone, pumping it with all the spare chakra she could manage before handing it the scroll she carried at her waist. With this, the multitude of Sakura's dispersed, each running in a different direction. Sakura stayed close behind her shadow clone as she ran, Praying that Gaara's seeking tendril of sand would go for one of the others first. Behind them, the great tendril of sand moved with incredible speed, lashing out and destroying the false Sakura's by the dozen.

As she ran, Sakura began pulling exploding tags off of herself, sliding them into the shadow clone's free hand. Sakura had hoped she wouldn't be pushed far enough to use this technique, it was her biggest secret jutsu, her deadliest weapon, she had been hoping to save it for the finals. _Oh well_.

When they had reached a sufficient distance, the shadow clone knelt to the ground, opening the scroll out and revealing, with a puff of smoke, a hollow metal tube, twelve inches long and open on one end. Sakura once more engaged her transformation, taking the form of the steel ball for a third time. The eye noticed their movements almost immediately, the sand redirecting mid-flight to strike at the shadow clone. Moments before the sand hit it, the shadow clone used all of the spare chakra Sakura had supplied it with to summon more shadow clones, three of them this time. The tendril of sand struck, destroying the clone and leaving the explosives she carried to flutter to the floor. The three clones moved, each with a singular purpose, one dashed to pick up the metal tube, another grabbed the orb that was Sakura, the third picked up the fallen explosive tags and lunched itself at the tendril of sand.

The great appendage moved like a whip, cutting through the clone as if it wasn't even there, dispersing it with ease. The clone that carried the metal tube channeled its chakra, activating the explosives. They detonated around the writhing tentacle, scattering sand everywhere and buying precious seconds.

The clone that held Sakura moved towards the clone that held the tube, sliding the steel ball into the hollow tube where it sat snugly, just as it was designed to. The tentacle re-formed and moved to attack, only to be distracted for a few moments when few remaining illusions took initiative and charged at Gaara with a furious cry. The clones were harmless, mere shadows, but Gaara had no way of knowing that for sure, he also had no way of knowing whether they held more paper bombs. The tentacle lashed backwards to destroy the remaining clones, giving Sakura's shadow clones the precious seconds they needed.

As the last illusion vanished with a tiny puff, Gaara's eye returned its attention to the two remaining shadow clones. The first sat on one knee, holding the metal tube pointed at Gaara's sphere, straining with the effort of carrying something heavier than Sakura's whole body. The other clone held its hands in activation stance, channeling its chakra. Gaara realized what was about to happen only a few moments before it came to pass, thrusting his sand towards the clones with desperate speed. Too slow.

The standing clone activated the explosive tags lining the inside of the metal tube all at once. The other clone held the tube in place, keeping it steady even as the recoil caused it to disappear in a puff of smoke.

Haruno Style: Wrecking Ball Jutsu!

The charges within the tube detonated with a bang that shook the very foundations of the arena, and the steel ball that was Sakura Haruno slammed into Gaara's perfect defense like the fist of an angry god.

In the moments that followed, all was eerily quiet. A thousand people stared as one in perfect silence. The great sphere of sand had moved, shifting as much of itself as it could in the half second of warning it had been given, reinforcing Gaara's defenses with a solid foot of unyielding sand. Even that had not been enough, Gaara lay some yards away, choking and gasping for air, clutching his stomach as a small trickle of blood trailed from his mouth.

Sakura lay in among the mound of inert sand, panting with exhaustion. After a few moments of total silence, Sakura raised her arms to the sky, fists clenched as she let out a loud whoop of sheer exhilaration. "OH MY GOD YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH FUN THAT WAS!"

Gaara remained where he lay, curled on the floor. Several medical ninja ran onto the field, an emergency stretcher carried between them as they began loading Gaara onto it.

Iruka stood to the side, shell-shocked, just what was with these kids? In a quiet voice, barely audible in the near silence, he murmured. "Winner… Sakura Haruno."

Sakura pushed herself up into a sitting position on shaking arms, giggling slightly as she moved to collect her jacket and her cannon. As she slowly made her way back to the observation platform, a single voice let out a strangled cry of triumph, a cry that was echoed by voices all through the stands, people leaped from their seats, roaring for the victory of Sakura Haruno.

From that day forward, Sakura Haruno was spoken of with respect and fear, as the legendary Iron Blossom of Konoha.

* * *

Up in the stands, Sasuke was the first to speak "Someday, I'm marrying that girl." He murmured breathlessly.

"Nope, I am," Haku interjected. "I call dibs."

"You're a girl." Sasuke pointed out, deadpan.

"Don't care, still marrying her." Haku responded, eyes on the pitch.

 **AN: Not gonna lie, I've been sitting on this idea for a while, was kinda itching to tell you guys about it. As always, thanks for reading, hope you had fun, feel free to review if you like, it feels great when people do.**


	37. Chapter 37: Round 3, Part 4

**AN: Nothing to see here, on with the fic.**

Iruka brought his hand to his forehead with a tired sigh as he waited for the cheering to die down. Honestly, when he had suggested that the Genin work on developing trump cards, it had been with the purpose of perhaps giving them just a little bit of extra motivation, maybe get them started on strategic thinking. He had just watched Sakura Haruno, one of the most mild mannered and nice students he had ever taught, fire herself out of a cannon only shortly after utilizing what could only be called weaponised self-destruction. Iruka had a feeling he had created a monster.

"It's been such a long morning." He mumbled, dragging his hand down his face, to the crowd he said, in a much louder, clearer voice. "Next fight, Naruto Namikaze versus Haku Yuki."

 **Naruto:**

The blonde boy glanced over at the pale ninja with a grin. "You okay with this?" he asked. "Fighting me?"

Haku returned the grin, a slight glint in her eye. "I guess we finally get to see who wins in an all out fight, don't we?"

The two young ninja walked down to the arena together side by side, moving to stand across from one another as Iruka positioned himself between them.

Haku glanced across at the proctor, who grinned, taking a few steps backwards before he continued, raising his hand in the ready stance, before dropping it down. "Ready… fight."

Haku lunged, launching herself towards Naruto with blinding speed and sending out a flurry of needles ahead of herself. Naruto was ready for it. His hand went to one of the fans at his waist, flipping it open and swiping it across himself to send out a gust of air that knocked the needles to the ground. Haku leaped to the side, evading the gust easily and continuing her advance, hand to hand then. Naruto dropped the fan, grinning as he fell into a practiced combat stance.

Haku closed the distance in a few long strides, hands already loaded out with more needles. The blonde boy aimed a punch at Haku's gut and, before the blow had a chance to connect, felt a needle sliding into his shoulder, working its way between muscles and arteries with supernatural ease. Naruto felt the sharp jab of pain as the needle connected. The blow had probably been intended to stop his attack short, but Naruto had known this would happen, had seen Haku fight enough times now to predict her plan. Naruto ignored the pain, restraining the impulse to flinch away with relative ease, and continued forwards to punch Haku in the gut, hard. As it turned out, countering Haku's style was relatively easy, the girl used her needles and her incredible speed to prevent attacks from landing by forcing foes to flinch mid strike. The problem was that Naruto had built up his pain tolerance training with Sasuke. It took a lot more than a needle to make him flinch like that. The dark haired girl doubled over, wheezing. With a sly grin, Naruto stepped forwards, raising his uninjured arm to bring his elbow down on Haku's back.

As Naruto brought his arm down, the pale ninja stepped nimbly to the side, smiling. Stomach punch seemingly forgotten, she jabbed another needle into Naruto's elbow, sliding it between bones. Naruto grunted, that would be problematic, it looked like Haku had already altered her strategy, using the needles to impede motion now rather than simply cause momentary pain. Haku followed up with a series of blindingly fast strikes to Naruto's other arm, his left arm, embedding no less than three needles into the limb before Naruto had a chance to react with a powerful upward kick. Haku evaded the blow, stepping back out of reach for a moment and arming herself with yet more needles. Naruto tried to move his left arm, no use. Muscles and bone tried to move as they normally would, but found themselves impeded by the slim metal rods, straining against them painfully. The right arm was only slightly better, the needle in his elbow stopped him from bending the limb much, but at least he could fix that. The blonde boy lifted the joint to his mouth, grasping the tip of the needle in his teeth and yanking it out. Haku moved forwards again, aiming to do even more damage before Naruto had finished recovering from the first wave. Naruto had to get himself some time. The blonde boy charged chakra into his feet, leaping high into the air, drawing his remaining fan as he did so. Haku reacted quickly, launching her needles on a path to intersect with Naruto in mid-air. The boy brought his fan forwards, blasting the needles aside. Moving quickly, Naruto began removing the needles from his arm, allowing the fan to hang in the air beside him as he began to fall. Haku launched another salvo of needles and Naruto had to twist in mid-air to avoid them, most of them at least. His left arm free to move once more, Naruto caught the fan as it fell beside him, launching another gust at Haku to keep the girl off balance and give himself time to land safely.

Haku launched yet more needles as Naruto landed in a crouch, deflecting them just in time with another gust of wind. One of these needles was different though, white, just like the sword Haku had given him, it moved through the gust unhindered and struck his fan with a small sound, tearing through the material with ease and rendering the weapon useless. Naruto sighed, dropping the now redundant weapon to the ground and reaching up to draw his longsword. It figured that Haku would keep a supply of chakra weaponry.

For her part, Haku seemed to be done with needles, perhaps she had finally exhausted her supply. Instead, the pale girl drew from her sleeve a short tanto blade of that same pearly white alabaster material.

The two ninja faced one another, their respective chakra weapons held at the ready, channeling wind energy in preparation for the next skirmish. "Stop!" a voice called out from the side lines, both combatants looked across at Iruka, curious. "Sorry, but a full out fight with chakra blades is too dangerous. One of you could die far too easily and unfortunately, you're both too fast for us to stop in time, so no chakra blade stand offs. Whoever wins can use theirs in the next round, but not now."

Naruto sighed and looked over at Haku with a grin. "Well, you heard him." He slid the longsword back into its sheath at his back.

Haku rolled her eyes and sheathed her tanto. The two ninja stood across from one another awkwardly, feeling a slight sense of disappointment. Haku broke the silence first. "Well, I'm out of needles, so without that blade, a taijutsu fight is pretty one sided. You're strong enough and fast enough to deal with me in that regard."

Naruto nodded thoughtfully, conceding the point. "Yeah, I'd win in an unarmed fight, but it's kind of unfair for me to capitalize on that because I'm pretty sure you'd win in a fight with chakra blades. Soo… ninjutsu fight?"

Haku nodded amicably. "Sure, Ninjutsu fight."

Nearby, Iruka gave the boys a strange look. "You're being oddly civil here. In a real fight, Naruto would hold the advantage, why give that up so easily?"

Naruto shot him an irritated look. "Because in a real fight, you wouldn't have stepped in to stop us. This is the only way to maintain battlefield conditions."

"By the way, you should clear the field," Haku interjected. "Crossfire, remember?"

Iruka took a few more steps back, but did not leave the arena. He gave Haku an annoyed look. "I hardly think-"

"Ice style: Permafrost stampede!"

Haku raised her hand towards Naruto as a growing sheet of ice began to flow from her palm with tremendous speed, covering a good tenth of the field in a block of solid ice that forced both Naruto and Iruka to launch themselves out of the way. Naruto landed in a crouch. Iruka, slightly less graceful, took the landing in a roll, coming to his feet just in time for Naruto's rebuke.

"Wind style: Great Breakthrough!"

The blast of air rushed towards Haku, larger and more forceful than any Haku had seen from the blonde boy before. It clipped Iruka in passing, knocking him off his feet. Haku raised her hands and brought up a massive sheet of ice between herself and the blast. It impacted with a crunch, sending chunks of ice raining around the field. Iruka scrambled on his knees to avoid the falling pieces, some as large as his head. He rose to his feet, panting. Haku swept an arm across her body, using her other hand to maintain a continuous stream of hand signs. Naruto groaned, he had to learn how to do hand signs one handed. As Haku swept her hand towards the other boy, a number of large, jagged chunks of ice rocketed from it towards Naruto, each one as large as he was and jutting forwards into a ragged point. Naruto said a small prayer to himself as he readied the first of the jutsu the ninetails had taught him, the lesson supposedly learned from his father. The boy leaped to the side to avoid the first chunk, focusing on stabilizing the palm sized orb of swirling energy. As the second came forwards, he brought the tiny ball up to meet it, allowing the great boulder to splinter and crack against his palm with a sound like nails on chalkboard. He parried each of the boulders in turn in this fashion, grinding them apart with his new jutsu. A few splinters slashed across his cheek, drawing blood. "Rasengan," the boy said under his breath.

* * *

Up in the stands, more than a few people were staring, eyes wide and mouths hanging open. Sarutobi Hiruzen turned to his apprentice and asked. "Did you teach him that?" The larger ninja shook his head, stunned.

Hiruzen shrugged. "Then I suppose Kakashi must have-"

Kakashi Hatake arrived before them, having moved at speed from his position in the stands. "Did you teach him that?" He asked Jiraiya, panting slightly.

Jiraiya gazed at the younger man. "No… we kinda thought you did."

As one, the Hokage and the only two men in the world who knew how to create a rasengan turned to stare at the pitch. "How the F*#k can he do that?" asked Jiraiya of no one in particular.

Nearby, unnoticed by any of them, Orochimaru grinned.

* * *

Iruka gaped at Naruto in amazement, he recognized the technique as one he had seen the fourth Hokage demonstrate once in his youth. "Naruto… how-"

"Could you clear a space?" Naruto asked, looking at Iruka pointedly. "I can't speak for Haku, but I'm getting a little tired of holding back to avoid hurting you."

"He's got a point." Haku called from where she stood some distance away.

Numbly, Iruka stood, walking a good twenty meters or so before turning to the two combatants. "How's this?" he asked.

"Little more," Naruto replied, grinning.

Obligingly, Iruka took another few steps, looking back questioningly.

"Little more," Naruto said again, trying not to laugh and failing.

Haku put a hand to her face, irritated. "Please, could you just clear the field, proctor?" she asked.

Iruka scowled at the girl. "I need to be close enough to provide assistance if necessary, just tell me the maximum range of your jutsu and I'll stand outsi-"

"Crystal Ice mirrors," Haku said with a sigh. All along the walls of the pitch, panes of ice began to from, each as tall as a grown man and reflective as a glass mirror. "My maximum range is the whole field, proctor," she said, irritated. "Please go stand outside it now."

Iruka stared at the girl helplessly. He couldn't believe this, just how powerful were these kids? He glanced across at Naruto, the boy still looking at him pointedly, he was being stared down by a couple of adolescents. As he pondered what to do, Iruka had the decision taken from him. A blue robed figure landed beside Iruka, head covered by a wide brimmed hat and facial mask. "It's alright Iruka Umino," said the fourth Kazekage. "I can take over from here, being from the sand village, I no longer have a horse in this race, I can assure you that I am more than fast enough to proctor this fight while remaining close enough to provide necessary aid."

"B-but sir…" Iruka protested weakly, before he could think of anything to say, the Kazekage leaned in and whispered in his ear.

"Please do not force me to say out loud that these Genin have surpassed your skill level. Just go."

Somewhat shell-shocked, Iruka made his way off the field. Almost casually, Haku reached a hand out to the glacier that had formed beside her at the beginning of the fight. The great block splintered and broke, clearing the field of obstructions. Naruto glanced at the mirrors lining the walls. Haku had told him about them but he had never seen them before. Naruto knew he had to stop Haku before she got to them.

Deep inside Naruto, the beast stirred, **_Naruto…_** the fox spoke, its tone a warning.

 _What?_ The boy asked, irritated, _I thought I said I wanted to do the exam on my own, I don't want to rely on your powers Kurama._

 ** _I know,_** the spirit replied, unabashed. **_I don't plan to interfere. It's the Kazekage, I sense something from him. His emotions, they're hungry, the same thing I felt from Orochimaru in the forest._**

Naruto felt himself grow cold, that wasn't good. The boy swallowed, then spoke. "K-Kazekage? Can I ask you something?"

The masked man turned to face Naruto. "Yes boy? What is it?"

Naruto took a few steps forward to whisper in the older ninja's ear. "What the hell are you doing here, Orochimaru?"

For a few moments, there was silence, before the response came as a low chuckle. "One day my dear boy, you simply must tell me how you just did that, but for the moment, I am just watching. Rest assured that I mean no harm, but if you make a scene, I will kill both you and your little girlfriend before the rest of the leaf village gets to me.

Naruto considered his options. This man was dangerous, more so than anyone he had encountered, and quite extraordinarily powerful. Orochimaru had offered to teach him, Sasuke and Sakura, to help them become stronger than Itachi, but since Itachi was no longer his goal, that held no sway over him. As for whether he and Haku could survive against the Sannin until help arrived? That depended on whether the fox was willing to help in a fight, even then, it would be risky. _Kurama?_ He asked. _I wanna punch this guy, are we strong enough to survive if I do?_

There was silence within Naruto for a very long moment. **_…Probably,_** The fox responded. **_Provided help arrives within… five seconds._**

Naruto decided on a plan of action, readying himself to move. _On my mark,_ he said to the fox. _Go!_

Immediately, Naruto's entire body began to glow with a pale golden light, flickering oddly with bursts of flame like chakra. Naruto moved faster than he ever had in his life, enhanced by every second of training he had ever spent and the immeasurable chakra of the tailed beast, he swung his arm around, catching Orochimaru by the waist and not hitting him, but instead throwing him bodily towards the stands. Specifically, he threw Orochimaru at the Hokage's viewing platform where he knew some of the strongest ninja in the leaf were gathered. In the same instant, Naruto screamed at the top of his lungs. "Orochimaru!"

The Sannin was ready for it. Instead of impacting against the wall below the Hokage's platform, Orochimaru stretched out a hand, serpents flashing forth and embedding their fangs into the ground, anchoring him to the spot. With his free hand, the Sannin pointed at Haku, more serpents firing themselves forwards. Haku barely managed to react in time, the whole thing having happened in the blink of an eye. The girl threw herself towards the wall at top speed, a speed that to Naruto almost seemed clumsy and slow now. Nonetheless, the snakes missed the pale girl by inches as she collided with the mirror and, instead of bouncing off it, sank into the glass like surface. Orochimaru was fast, faster even than Naruto in this form. The Sannin moved like a flash, firing another volley of snakes at Haku, aiming to shatter the mirror that held the girl. Naruto lunged, his mouth opening to scream, too late. The delicate crystal shattered under the impact. What happened next was unexpected to say the least, Orochimaru let out a small grunt of pain, glancing down at the small shards of ice that had lodged themselves in his shoulder. Naruto felt his annoyance and, some distance away, another emotion. It felt… determined, Naruto glanced at the source. It was a mirror, positioned on a nearby part of the pitch, Haku's reflection floated within it, unscathed. Naruto felt a sense of incredible relief, Haku was alive. He wasn't sure how, but he was alive. Orochimaru turned, facing Naruto's charge head on, Naruto lacked the time to stop or change direction. The Sannin's fist impacted against his sternum with blinding speed, there was a sickening crack of bone breaking and Naruto saw lights flashing before his eyes. The boy fell to the ground, gasping for air. The snake ninja stood over him, bringing his fist down in a blinding speed that even Naruto, enhanced as he was, barely managed to track. The boy felt a tug as the fox attempted to take control. He allowed it, too stunned to resist. Kurama caught Orochimaru's fist in Naruto's own, the Sannin hissing in pain as the boy's fingers dug into his hand, refusing to release him. Orochimaru raised a second fist to strike, before finding his attention momentarily caught by a spike of bone spearing towards him through the air like a javelin. Had he been in a position to feel anything, Naruto would have been relieved, he had lasted less than three seconds against Orochimaru on his own, not long enough for the Hokage and his guards to make it down in time, but the other Genin here closer to them than the Hokage had been. Orochimaru batted the spear with the back of his hand, the shaft of bone exploding, fragments of it cutting the false Kazekage's mask to ribbons.

He turned his attention towards Kimimaro, the look of rage on his face matched only by that on Kimimaro's own. "You attacked Haku." Kimimaro said quietly. "You die now."

In response, the Sannin only hissed.

Before Kimimaro had any chance to act, Kosuke appeared between the two of them, making hand signs with incredible speed before throwing a shuriken at the serpent ninja. Orochimaru stepped out of the way with almost contemptuous ease, caught somewhat off guard when the shuriken multiplied in mid-air, thousands of blades swarming towards him. Orochimaru leaped back, opening his mouth and emitting a great gust of air, blasting the shuriken to the floor. Naruto slowly pulled himself to his feet, the pain in his chest reducing slowly to a dull throb. To the side, Naruto saw Sasuke fire a gargantuan fireball towards the snake ninja, Orochimaru held up a hand and the great flame dissipated as though it had never even been there. The serpent turned to respond, raising his hand and firing yet more snakes at the Uchiha boy. Naruto tried to move to his brother, save him somehow, but was again far too slow. It didn't matter, Kakashi intercepted the snakes as they flew towards the boy, slicing them into clean pieces, his hand once again covered by that same glowing electrical power Sasuke had used. The severed snake heads fell to the floor, their stumps charred and smoking. For the first time, Orochimaru's expression shifted from anger, to trepidation, rightly so, as Jiraiya's fist slammed into his cheek, forcing him into the ground hard enough to leave an impression of himself in the soft earth.

Orochimaru began to stand, pulling himself from the floor and looking severely disheveled, when a sturdy looking combat pole struck him from above, where the Hokage was falling towards him, apparently Hiruzen had grown tired waiting for gravity to pull him down to his former student and had taken the situation into his own hands. Orochimaru seemed to shrug off the blow with surprising ease, swaying slightly as the pole passed him, his focus remained on Jiraiya, deflecting a blow his former teammate launched towards him, then another, before the pole sprouted an arm from where it lay embedded by its tip in the ground from the sheer force of the Hokage's throw. The arm took hold of Orochimaru's elbow in its huge, apelike hand, restraining him as Jiraiya threw a fourth strike. Knocking Orochimaru to the ground. The Hokage landed a short distance away, already making more hand signs. Naruto became acutely aware of just how much Sarutobi had been holding back by letting the boy punch him.

"Everyone below Jonin level get back." Jiraiya said calmly as the Hokage spat what seemed to be pellets of mud at Orochimaru from his mouth. "Kosuke, defend the children."

Heeding his words, the Genin made their way towards Kosuke, who stood with a tanto blade at the ready, shielding them. Naruto limped slowly towards the group. The haggard figure of Orochimaru gazed at Naruto with venom, slamming a hand to the ground. The earth itself seemed to ripple, flowing out from him in a wave. Those who tried to jump away found their feet stuck to the ground, it passed beneath the assembled ninja, throwing them off balance, Orochimaru used this opportunity to make one last attempt at Naruto, running forwards at somewhat less than his earlier speed. Naruto may have been able to dodge it were he not so badly hurt. Haku landed on Orochimaru's back, having fired herself at the Sannin from her mirror like a shot from a cannon, the girl had her alabaster tanto blade drawn. With a furious yell, Haku jammed the small knife into Orochimaru's spine, kicking off from him before the serpent had time to retaliate. It was then that Rock Lee arrived, his face contorted in pain and his movements slightly stiffer than they had been before. He had activated his inner gates, up to the third, it seemed. The boy kicked the stumbling Sannin hard in the face and there was a crunch of breaking bone. From the agonized yelp and the emotional connection Naruto held with everyone present, Naruto could tell the crunching sound was Lee's leg shattering. Orochimaru was knocked back very slightly, the force of the kick seemingly giving him pause. This was enough to save Naruto. Before Orochimaru took another step, Jiraiya, having regained his footing, pressed a rasengan hard into his former comrade's side. Orochimaru let out a small huff of air, his eyes going wide in surprise, before he crumpled to the ground with a thump.

The whole fight had lasted all of fifteen seconds.

Panting, Jiraiya turned to Naruto, his eyes focused on the boy. "First up," he said between heavy breaths. "How did you know it was Orochimaru? Second-" he held up the still spinning orb of energy in his hand. "How the hell did you learn the rasengan? Third, why in the name of the sage of the six paths are you glowing like that?"

 **AN: Okay, so I've said before that I don't really have much of a solid plan in mind for what happens in this story beyond the framework of basic plot points. This is why, it allows me to adjust for things that otherwise wouldn't make sense. I originally planned for the tournament to go uninterrupted, but then realized that Kurama would totally sense Orochimaru pretending to be the Kazekage, this whole thing changed as a result of that. By the way, I tried to make it totally clear that none of the Genin are actually managing to fight Orochimaru, even with their strongest attacks, they are really just taking turns momentarily distracting him, none of them, even Naruto, are even close to strong enough to fight him yet.**

 **Thanks for reading, feel free to review because it helps alleviate my crushing lack of self worth.**


	38. Chapter 38: Kyuubi

**AN: Nothin' much to say, hope you enjoy.**

 **Naruto:**

The atmosphere in the leaf village over the next couple of days was one of tension, everyone expecting an attack that continued failing to occur. In the aftermath of the fight, the Chunin exam had been suspended for the time being, it was reasoned that everyone still in the tournament had already demonstrated Chunin level ability in helping capture the rogue Sannin. That night, Naruto told Sasuke what he had learned about Itachi, at first, the boy had laughed awkwardly, thinking it some bad joke, then the boy had grown nervous as the truth began to take hold. Asking Naruto to stop, to tell him it was all a lie. In its time, that had given way to bitter grief, mixed in equal measure with his rage. Naruto had held his brother and cried with him anew as the dark haired boy howled his lament through the night. The next morning, they had reaffirmed their purpose, revenge, but no longer against Itachi, that ship had sailed.

Later in the day, Naruto was taken aside by Kakashi, Jiraiya and the Hokage, following nervously as he was half guided, half dragged to a small interrogation room in the centre of the ANBU building. Then the three had attempted, gently but firmly, to interrogate him as to how exactly it all had happened. The boy told the truth for the most part, primarily because it allowed him to keep other things secret. He told the three shinobi that Kurama had informed him of his suspicions regarding the disguised Orochimaru, and that he had decided to test that suspicion by approaching the Sannin. The boy tried to make it sound as though the fox was working from some intuition rather than a power, at present the emotion sensing was his single greatest advantage and he wanted to keep it a secret. Naruto told the three that his father had explained to his mother how the rasengan worked when he was trying to master it, and that Kurama, sharing her body, had remembered the steps involved.

"Are you telling me the ninetails taught you the rasengan?" Jiraiya asked, incredulous.

"Not just the rasengan," Naruto answered. "That glowing thing is because of him too. As far as I can tell, that's what happens when he pumps my body with as much chakra as the seal allows."

"Naruto…" the Hokage said hesitantly, his voice gentle. "I do not intend to hurt you here, but I must say, the fact that you have taken the Kyuubi as a teacher is deeply concerning. There are a thousand ways it could manipulate you without you even knowing, it could turn you against the village, bend you to its will."

The boy responded with an angry huff. "Kurama has shown me more loyalty in the last month than either of you ever have," he pointed at Jiraiya and the Hokage in turn as he said this. "As for you," the boy turned to Kakashi. "I don't even know what to think of you anymore, you knew my parents, were close with them. You took me as a student, you were even a good teacher, a great teacher. But you never even told me you trained under my dad, or that you took care of my mother while she was pregnant, or that, according to Kurama, you checked in on me nearly every day as a kid, right now, I can't tell if you're my closest ally or the biggest liar of the bunch." The boy trailed off, his words turning bitter.

Kakashi hesitated. "Naruto… how did the Kyu-… Kurama, how did he know I was checking in?"

Naruto tried to think of a convincing lie, feeling the fox tugging at his body, he didn't resist, allowing Kurama the courtesy of speech. " **I saw you out the corner of Naruto's eyes once or twice when he was growing up. He didn't know you, but I knew you well enough by then, I watched you grow up, after all."**

Neither Kakashi nor Hiruzen flinched as they heard the fox speak. Jiraiya, never having heard it before, let out a small curse, leaning down to look into Naruto's eyes. "Listen here creature, If you do not give Naruto back right now, I will alter that seal on the boy's chest to fill your every waking moment with agonizing pain, am I understood?"

The fox rolled Naruto's eyes angrily before he replied. " **I am far too old and far too large to be intimidated by the likes of you, Toad Sage. Regardless, the boy remains in control, with this seal in place, I only have as much power over his body as he willingly allows me."**

Jiraiya ignored the words, reaching out to lift Naruto's shirt up to his ribs and thrusting a palm into his stomach. The black mark of the seal began to emerge and Jiraiya's hand began to glow.

Inside Naruto's mind, the fox fell silent. "Stop," Naruto said, concern touching his voice. "Don't hurt him." Jiraiya glanced up at the boy, hand still pressing against the boy's stomach.

"Naruto, are you okay?" He asked urgently. "Did it hurt you?"

The glow from Jiraiya's hand intensified and the mark on Naruto's chest began to shift and flicker, changing its form as new markings were added to the complex symbol. Inside his head, Naruto heard the fox begin to scream.

"Stop it, you're hurting him!" Naruto cried out, panic cutting into his words as he moved to push Jiraiya's hand away, the boy found two pairs of hands restraining him, Kakashi and Hiruzen holding him in place.

"It's for the best, Naruto." Jiraiya said gently. "We only want to keep you safe, this should keep him in check."

Naruto wailed, his voice eclipsed by the screams emanating from the great spirit within him, he struggled fruitlessly against the men restraining him, their hands held firm as iron against the small boy's attempts. The boy gave up trying to fight them, instead focusing on the cries of the fox within himself, trying desperately to comfort the tortured creature.

Naruto focused so hard on the voice of the fox that, quite unexpectedly, he blacked out, his head slumping forwards as his body went limp in the ninja's arms.

"Is he okay?" Kakashi asked, disturbed.

"He's fine," Jiraiya responded, his own voice far from calm. "Once we save him from that thing, he'll be right as rain."

 **Inside:**

Naruto opened his eyes, finding himself in unfamiliar surroundings, it looked like a flooded sewer tunnel, almost completely dark but for the faintest trace of sourceless light, barely enough to see by. Across from Naruto, the tunnel was blocked off, huge, wide red bars jutting from the unseen ceiling to the water covered floor, at their center, a piece of paper hung from one bar, bearing an exact copy of the seal on Naruto's chest. Behind the bars, Kurama was screaming, his whole body writhing in agonized jerks as great iron spikes materialized in the air above him, slamming themselves down into the creature's flesh, eliciting fresh yelps and howls of pain.

Naruto watched the scene unfold, helpless to aid the creature. "Kurama," he said in a small voice. "What can I do Kurama?" The fox did not answer, its focus drawn by the spikes still continuing to embed themselves into its massive form. The boy sank to his knees.

Naruto felt sickened, watching the scene unfold, there was nothing he could do, he lacked the power to fight off the other ninja, or the knowledge to repair the harm they were causing, Kurama was not aware enough to answer him, Naruto was lost. Only one idea came to him, a stupid idea, the most stupid idea. One that he would almost certainly regret when it came down to it. Naruto breathed deep to calm himself, the choice was out of his hands, he could either follow through on his one stupid idea, or make his peace with the fact that his body was being used to torture someone. The very thought sickened him. Naruto made his decision and stood. Purposefully, the boy walked over to the seal marking the red gate, reaching out a hand as he began to peel the paper from its place along the bars of the cage. As he did so, the spikes began to recede, the beast's yowls of pain stopped, it lay panting in the shallow water, before slowly turning its head to face the small boy. The great red cage disappeared. The mighty fox slowly rose to its feet, standing tall even in the confines of the sewer, when it had been lying on the floor, Naruto had not quite managed to grasp the sheer scale of the thing. The Kyuubi dwarfed Naruto with its presence, gazing balefully down at the boy with its two massive eyes, the sense he got from it, inscrutable.

The boy suddenly felt very small. Trying his best to shake off his timidity, Naruto looked up at the creature, both hands down by his sides, one still holding the rolled up remnants of the seal. "So," the boy asked. "Was it all a lie? Were you really just trying to gain my trust so that I would free you or were you honest about wanting to be friends?"

The gargantuan fox did not respond, it simply continued staring at Naruto, its expression undreadable.

Dimly, as though from very far away, Naruto heard a voice calling out. "He's broken the seal! We need to restore it, now!"

The Kyuubi turned its head up at the noise, Naruto felt the creature asserting control, leaving him unable to resist it as he had before. Naruto fought to hold back the tears as he gazed up at the beast. "Please," he pleaded. "If what you said to me meant anything to you at all, please don't kill them."

The Kyuubi cast a single enormous eye down towards the boy, seeming to consider him for a moment before it finally responded. " **… Fine."**

 **Kyuubi:**

Jiraiya flinched backwards as the boy raised his head to look at him, the red, slitted eyes of a thing staring out from the blonde boy's face. "Naruto," he said sadly. "You would side with the thing that killed your parents over us? Do you really hate us so?"

The creature broke free of the hands holding it with extraordinary ease, before it lashed out with the small boy's fist, its movements jerky and unnatural within the child's frame. The punch caught Jiraiya in the shoulder, forcing him backwards against the reinforced wall of the interrogation room. The impact sent cracks radiating through the solid concrete. Jiraiya lay prone, unmoving.

Both Kakashi and Hiruzen moved to intercept the possessed child, the Hokage moving to block the doorway while Kakashi charged forward, his hand charged with the form and shape of a seal, powerful enough to restrain the beast long enough to replace its true binding.

As Kakashi's hand moved to strike the thing, it vanished, leaving not a trace of itself behind, the movement had been so fast Kakashi hadn't even glimpsed it. The boy reappeared, crouched against a corner where wall met ceiling like some kind of sick spider, it gazed down at him, an almost puzzled look on its face.

Kakashi turned to face the thing, readying the sealing jutsu once more, he could not fail, or Naruto would be lost, the silver haired ninja surged forwards. The form of Naruto disappeared from the wall in a flash, Kakashi turned his head as he looked around the small room, trying to find the boy. Then, quite suddenly, everything faded to black. Kakashi fell to the ground with a thud.

The monster stood over the crumpled form of Kakashi Hatake, looking down at him with an unreadable expression. Sarutobi blocked the door, the only thing he could do. The creature turned to look at the old man, a look of what could almost be called contempt flashing across its eyes, before it charged. The Hokage braced himself, only for the impact to never come, instead, beside him, there was a thunderous crash as, instead of using the door, the creature simply threw itself through the foot thick concrete wall, exiting into a small hallway and firing itself again, this time through the roof. The small monster crashed through three floors of the reinforced structure before emerging into open sky, where it landed on the roof. Sarutobi followed. The boy stood on the steel and stone latticework of the rooftop, looking down at its feet. Sarutobi kept a safe distance, a few meters behind it.

"Naruto…" Hiruzen tried hesitantly. "I hope you can hear me. I just want you to know that when you regain control, we will not blame you."

The blonde boy turned to look at the old man, moving not his body but only his head, tilting it backwards at a strange angle to look over his shoulder. The only response the demon gave was a wide, ear to ear grin, lips stretching thin to reveal unnaturally sharp teeth. Then, with a flash, Naruto was gone.

 **AN: Interested to see what you guys think of that one.**


	39. Chapter 39: Wild Fox

**AN: Nothing to see here. On with the fic!**

 **Hiruzen:**

The old man set his grief aside with surprising ease, it was disturbing how easy that became with practice. He would have time for remorse over the situation later, for the moment, he had to prepare the village for a worst case scenario, already, ANBU members who had been close enough to notice the commotion were beginning to gather behind the Hokage, some might even have arrived in time to see the beast, manipulating Naruto's body like a puppet. Hiruzen shook the thought away, turning to his subordinates as he began to coordinate, this was a tailed beast incident, the village had to be defended.

As was standard practice in every village that held a jinchuuriki, the village of the leaf, unknown to Naruto Namikaze, had countermeasures in place for the eventuality of a rampage, every Jonin level ninja and a select group of the village Chunin had specialized instructions that formed a cohesive action plan without the need for a debriefing or mass coordination, so when the alarm rang out from the Hokage building, its klaxon sound echoing through the whole of the village in a matter of seconds, everyone knew exactly what to do. Even the village Genin knew to play their part, assisting with the evacuation of the village citizenry in whatever way they could. In a mark of remembrance that was both extremely fitting and, to Hiruzen, heart-breakingly sad, the Hokage monument at the edge of the village had been painstakingly reconstructed over the last ten years, the carving of the fourth Hokage having been hollowed out and reinforced with steel beams and as many different kinds of barriers as the village ninja could devise, forming a tailed beast protection bunker that, until now, they had never had to use. Slowly, the villagers began to fill it, herded by confused, yet nonetheless dutiful Genin to a place of safety. It brought some of them comfort, standing within the monument, even in death, the fourth Hokage was still protecting them.

Luckily for Sarutobi Hiruzen, the fortified bunker was also completely soundproofed, which meant that, even though it broke his heart to do it, the third Hokage was able to tell the defending ninja over the loudspeaker that the Kyuubi was possessing the body of Namikaze Naruto without the entire citizenry needing to hear. Just like that, the secret Hiruzen had worked so hard to conceal in his attempt to let the child of one of his truest friends live a normal life, was gone. Sarutobi cursed himself, he didn't have time for tears.

In the very center of the leaf village, in a space cleared for that express purpose, Jiraiya of the Sannin, recently recovered with the assistance of medical ninjutsu and ignoring the aching pain emanating from his shoulder, pressed his hand to the ground. "Summoning Jutsu." He said, calmly, it helped in times like these to be able to turn one's personal feelings off. Orochimaru had taught him that lesson a long time ago.

In the mid-point of the leaf, with a great plume of smoke that covered whole buildings in a momentary smog, the great toad, Gamabunta burst into being. "What is the meaning of this Jiraiya?" The boss toad asked.

Atop his head, the white maned Toad Sage answered. "The Kyuubi has gotten free of its seal, we expect it to begin its rampage at any moment, evacuation is already complete. We need someone sturdy enough to handle fighting it without killing the host, are you up to the challenge old friend?"

The mighty toad reached a padded hand up to his mouth, quietly removing the massive smoking pipe from between lips the width of streets, he placed it on the ground and readied the enormous tanto that he carried with him always. "Of course I am Jiraiya, would I ever let you down?"

The white haired man smiled. "Thank you Bunta. I just want to keep Naruto safe."

With baited breath, the village hidden in the leaves waited for an attack that never came.

* * *

In the strange hush that accompanied a population center completely devoid of people, a lone figure moved, their features hidden by a body concealing cloak. They stepped inside the ANBU building. The place was not empty. Even in the case of a tailed beast attack there were prisoners and secrets concealed here that were simply too important to leave unguarded, but the guards were distracted, in part from the oncoming attack, in part from the damage done to the building in the Kyuubi's departure, the figure made its way towards the deepest cells, moving with caution and dispatching the guards it came across with relative ease. The figure opened the door to Orochimaru's cell. The Serpent lord had seen better days, his normally too pristine face battered and swollen. The cloaked figure gave a short laugh, a fight against Jiraiya would do that to you. Orochimaru looked up at the newcomer, a sly smile breaking across his lips.

"Nice to see you made it in one piece." Orochimaru said in a voice that somehow managed to bridge the gap between overly polite and aggressively taunting.

The cloaked ninja stooped and began removing the Sannin's bindings. "Shut up Orochimaru, we both know that If I had any choice in the matter, I would have left you to rot in here."

The snake ninja pulled himself to his feet, dusting himself off casually. "Yes, but lucky for me, you don't have a choice, so everything works out. I get to walk free."

"You know, when you told me to rescue you if you were caught, I didn't expect it to be an actual possibility."

"Neither did I," Orochimaru agreed. "But the whole point of a backup plan is to be ready in case something unexpected happens, one does not allow himself to sit within two meters of both Sarutobi Hiruzen and Toad Sage Jiraiya unless they have a damn good back up plan. Now then, we must move quickly, you must be hidden well enough that the leaf believes the ruse when they find you, otherwise there is no point to this."

The cloaked figure followed behind Orochimaru as he began to walk, picking small pieces of garb off the fallen ANBU they passed to serve as a disguise.

"I still don't understand why you won't just let me die." The rescuer said, resentfully as they moved.

"Really?" Orochimaru asked behind him "I would have thought it was obvious. With this resurrection jutsu, I have full control over your body and your will, if I allow the world to believe you survived, it leaves me in control of one of the most influential people in the world."

The cloaked man felt his heart sink. "You plan to use me to control the sand village." He said, with a sick sort of certainty.

"You catch on quick." Orochimaru smiled. "Yes, that is exactly what I plan to do. Now, we need to find an appropriate place to leave you to make your imprisonment seem realistic, any ideas where such a place might be, lord Kazekage?"

* * *

Miles away, deep in the forests of the land of fire, a creature moved with preternatural speed, ignoring the tears that flowed from its eyes. The tear glands were one of the only parts of the body over which it had no direct control, only being able to control its host's voluntary actions. The creature that had so recently been Naruto Namikaze moved between trees and across branches with a speed unattainable to all but a few, making no noise and leaving not so much as a footprint as evidence of its passing. The creature traveled like this for hours, only stopping when the sun fell low in the sky and the light of the day was slowly drawn away by the onrushing night. Coming near the end of its journey, the creature came across a creature, some unnameable denizen of the forests of the region, with an appearance somewhere between a squirrel and a vole. The beast gave no warning as it fell upon the tiny forager, landing atop it and crushing its head to the floor with lightning precision, it could at least ensure the small creature did not suffer.

The Kyuubi drew a kunai from the pouch at Naruto's hip, slowly beginning to skin its prey, hanging it from a tree branch with a length of wire as it went to gather firewood. The spirit of the mighty fox skewered the tiny creature on a sharpened length of wood, before setting about roasting it over its makeshift campfire. Only when the food was ready did Kurama return control to the little boy.

The boy sat there unmoving for several minutes, either unwilling or simply too out of it to reclaim control of his form, tears continued to stream down the boy's face.

 ** _Naruto, you need to eat._** The fox said gently inside Naruto's mind, **_Please don't make me do it for you, you're stronger than that, little one._**

In a quiet, rasping voice, broken either by grief or his own unfamiliarity with the changes to himself, Naruto spoke. "What did you do to me, Kurama?"

Hesitantly, the fox responded, **_I am sorry, Naruto, when you set me free, I had to take control, even with my full strength, you lacked the skill to escape on your own. I couldn't face staying there, not knowing they would use that jutsu on me again, you have no idea of the pain, Naruto._**

Naruto swallowed, trying to get past the lump in his throat. "That's not what I meant," he replied, his voice still sounding strange and unfamiliar. "What did you do to my body, Kurama?"

The fox seemed confused at this, **_What do you mean? I did nothing to your body besides moving us both to safety, what has you so concerned, little one?_**

Naruto almost gagged at the sensations running through him, his whole body feeling strange and unnatural. "You mean you didn't notice?" the boy asked, fumbling in his pouch for his tiny hand mirror, angling it to reflect his mouth as he spoke, gazing into it so the fox could see as he saw. "Those aren't MY teeth, Kurama." For a single moment, Naruto caught sight of his eyes in the small glass, tilting it backwards immediately to get a better look at them, they widened in horror as he looked back at himself. The pale, sky blue eyes of the boy were gone, replaced by orbs of deep red, not a single patch of white to be seen on them, marked by slits of solid black for pupils. "Those aren't my eyes," Naruto said quietly, feeling the need to retch again. "Those aren't my eyes Kurama!"

The voice spoke in a concerned rumble, **_Naruto, it's okay, calm down._** Unsurprisingly, the words went unheeded as the boy began to hyperventilate, jerking to his feet as he began to remove his clothes, checking over the whole of himself as he tried to assess the damage. Skin? Normal. Feet? Normal. Hands? He had claws. Oh god he had claws. The voice continued trying gently to calm the boy as he worked himself into a panic, **_Naruto! It's fine, we can deal with this. You just need to calm down._**

"Calm down?" the boy asked, letting out a burst of laughter that edged on the hysterical. "Calm down?! I don't think I'm even human anymore Kurama! What's happening to me?!"

The nine tails tried to make his voice soothing as he spoke, **_I think I know what's going on Naruto, it's less of a problem than you think._** The words did little to soothe the boy, but the fox continued, **_It is quite normal for a Jinchuriki to take on the characteristics of their tailed beast over time, especially when they are bound to it at birth. The chakra of the beast mixes with the Junchuriki's body and influences their growth. You saw that it happened to Gaara, he took on the black markings around his eyes inherited from Shukaku, you yourself developed whisker patterns on your cheeks. I suspect that for you, the change is even more apparent because you were exposed to my chakra even while you were in your mother's womb. Now that the seal is broken and there is no longer a barrier between us, and because I was forced to take the dominant position in our partnership, the transformation has become more complete, this is your true body Naruto._**

Naruto curled himself into a ball on the ground, rocking slowly back and forth as he clutched at his knees. "I'm a monster," he said quietly, tears continuing to flow down his cheeks. "Oh god I'm a monster. I'm not even human anymore."

The beast did its best to conceal the hurt in its voice, **_In a way Naruto, I would almost say that you never were human, not completely. I've resided alongside your soul for the entirety of your existence, in a very real way, my chakra is a part of you. If it hurts you so much, take comfort in the fact that you are at least mostly human. Though I fail to see why you would want to associate with such a race given the choice. Now, I know today has been hard, but you need to eat, I took great care to roast that little creature to perfection, try not to let it burn._**

Numbly, unable to accept, barely able to comprehend, Naruto reached forwards. Grasping the end of the stick in his hand, he pulled the tiny creature from the fire, moving it to his mouth and sinking his new teeth into the animal's flesh.

The taste was nearly enough to make him gag, everything about it was wrong, the fats were too potent, lingering on his taste buds as he gagged and spat, trying to rid them of it, the blood and salt within the meat tasted all wrong, the heat of it scalded the inside of his mouth, but he didn't have room to care about the pain on top of everything else, throwing the food to the ground, Naruto doubled over onto his hands and retched, losing the few remaining contents of his stomach over the forest floor. Sweat and bile dotting his face, the boy panted at the forced exertion. "Why does everything feel so _wrong?"_ He asked. Naruto was coming dangerously close to losing his mind, even with everything else changed, perhaps forever, he had at least expected he could still enjoy the taste of food.

Inside of himself, Naruto heard the fox reply, the answer sickened him. **_As I said, your body is changed, I have no idea to what degree, everything that feels wrong to you merely feels more natural to me, it is hard to tell the difference. Perhaps your taste buds have become more akin to a fox, maybe you would find it easier to eat your food raw-_**

"No!" Naruto cried out, his voice filled with revulsion. "I refuse to do that, Kurama, I'm human." The boy drew a kunai, reaching out and holding it over the fire. "You say it's my taste buds that are the problem? Fine."

The spirit saw what Naruto was planning just a second too late to stop him. **_Naruto no!_**

The boy opened his mouth wide, holding the flat of the blade against his tongue. The boy let out a primal moan as the heated metal burned away at his tongue, leaving him in agony. He pulled the knife away and threw it to the ground, chest rising and falling rapidly as he half breathed, half sobbed. The boy reached out and picked up the roasted creature from the ground. Eating was a tortuous process, every bite grinding soft matter against his freshly cauterized tongue, but he managed it, even if he had to whimper constantly doing so.

As he lay on the floor that night, trying in vain to escape to the blessed freedom of sleep, he spoke to Kurama, resorting to communication by thought, his tongue too damaged to form words. _We can't go back, can we?_ He said, _It doesn't matter what the old man said, even if they don't blame me, they'll still try to torture you again._

After a long silence, the fox replied, **_No, you're right, I doubt they'll let us remain like this, I am too powerful and you are too… strong willed for them. A freed jinchuuriki is a much harder thing to control._**

 _So where do we go then?_ Naruto asked, _Are we going to live in the forest forever? We can't go home and even if I can get used t-to… to being this way, there is no escaping that I still look like a monster, I doubt anyone will take us in._

The beast contemplated this, **_Given preparation, we may be able to hide the signs. Your claws can be filed down, your eyes concealed, you can learn to speak as normal again with those new teeth of yours._**

 _Should I file those down as well?_ Naruto asked in a monotone, his emotions deadened.

 ** _Child… do you have any idea how much that would hurt?_**

 _I don't care about that, Kurama, I want to be human again._

 ** _But Naruto, at the rate you regenerate, these will not be one time agonies, in order to make your teeth look normal, you will need to file them often, in order not to taste your food, you will need to repeatedly scald your tongue, is it really worth so much pain?_**

 _It is to me._

 ** _But Naruto… We share this body… When you scalded your tongue, I felt that too. Must we go through all of this?_**

Naruto had no answer to that, so instead he chose to ignore it, _Even apart from finding a place to stay, I still need to train. If I can't make myself stronger, I don't have a hope in hell of finding the person who killed my family._

The response was hesitant, **_I… could train you, there are still many techniques your predecessors learned that I have yet to tell you, in terms of raw taijutsu, I resided in the bodies of Jonin for over a decade, I am more than able to instruct, even if we were to be stuck in the wild, I could still teach you._**

Naruto sighed, _Thank you, Kurama, that's at least one problem out of the wa-_

 ** _On one condition,_** the fox interrupted, **_You will never harm yourself in such a way again, this is your body, I suggest you learn to accept it._**

 _I will not be a savage!_ Naruto retorted, _If I have to hurt myself to keep my humanity, I will do it, Kurama._

The voice responded with a tone of heavy exasperation, **_For the love of god, Naruto, just eat fish or something, even humans eat raw fish from time to time, stop making a massive issue out of a small problem._**

Naruto stopped dead, stunned. _I… Basically mutilated myself for no reason, didn't I?_

Deep within him, a gargantuan creature facepalmed, **_Yes, Naruto, you did. Have fun trying to sleep, little fool._**

Naruto rolled his eyes, trying to ignore the continued pain in his mouth as best he could, it didn't work. The two companions fell silent as Naruto fitfully tried to sleep, managing it after a few hours only because his accelerated healing had already begun to repair the damage, shutting off the pain.

* * *

 **Itachi Uchiha:**

The summons were issued with urgency, the disparate ninja of Akatsuki gathering at communication points across the continent with utmost haste to hear the news. Before the assembled group, a cloaked figure spoke. "We have received a report from our plant within the leaf village, Orochimaru has made an attack on the suspected ninetails jinchuuriki. This message was interrupted by a complete communications blackout. Due to its haste, and the continued silence from the leaf, we have no information on the result of this conflict. I need a team to travel to the leaf and gather information, we need to know the status of the ninetails and, if Orochimaru has made a move to gather jinchuriki, we need to be ready to take action.

Without hesitation, Itachi raised his hand. "I volunteer," the assembled criminals and mercenaries looked over at him, some smiling, some not.

"Say," said one among them, Sasori. "Don't you have a little brother in the leaf village? It's really nice of you to want to look out for him like that." Despite the playful tone, the threat was evident. Itachi had to pretend he didn't care.

The black haired ninja gazed into Sasori's eyes, a single raised eyebrow the only sign of emotion anywhere on his face. "Indeed, I am very much curious to see how far my younger brother's eyes have progressed, he might be interesting to kill once they reach fruition."

Across the room, the projection of Kakuzu snorted. "It's nice to see you care," he said sardonically. "I'm glad you aren't my brother."

"So am I," Itachi replied amicably. "Killing you would be far less interesting than killing a fully developed Uchiha."

"Enough," the leader said quietly, sounding bored. "Itachi and Kisame will go to the Leaf village to check on the situation there, we will allow them a little extra time to check on Itachi's-" he chuckled a little. "Pet project. Where are you now?"

"About a day's journey out from Konoha." Itachi replied promptly.

"I see, in that case, the two of you have four days, allowing for travel time, before we expect a report. This session is concluded." With that, the projections faded, leaving Itachi and Kisame alone in the cavernous room.

"So, my friend," Kisame asked conspiratorially. "Why do you really want to go there?"

Itachi chuckled ruefully. "You know me too well my friend, it's getting to the point where I might have to kill you just to keep my secrets."

Kisame chuckled as well, the joke was an old one between them. Both ninja were quite aware that Itachi was more than strong enough to end Kisame if and when he chose, but the two had agreed early in their partnership that Akatsuki was too dark a path to tread unaccompanied. "That you might," Kisame agreed with a grin that displayed teeth. "So why do you want to go there?"

Itachi sighed. "I need to make sure my brothers are safe."

Kisame nodded. "I won't judge you for that, it's nice to see even a monster like you or me can care for someone, but you realize that Naruto will have to die eventually, we need his tailed beast to complete the plan."

Itachi shook his head. "No, Kisame, that's why I always insisted on capturing the ninetails myself. Naruto is of Uzumaki blood, with the right safeguards, his unnatural life force should be enough to survive the extraction."

"You hope." Kisame said, deadpan.

"Yes," Itachi responded sadly. "I hope."

* * *

 **Kakashi:**

None of the children took the news well. Sasuke roared and screamed, Sakura cried quietly, Haku went blank and cold, seemingly unresponsive. Kakashi lost a piece of himself at that, he had hoped never again to see an expression of such grief on the face of one he cared about. Outwardly, the silver haired ninja was as a stone, refusing to show any of what he felt. The only sign came when he went to visit Jiraiya, the teacher of his teacher, greatest man he knew.

* * *

 **Jiraiya:**

"You what?" Jiraiya asked, taken aback.

"I want you to train me." Kakashi said, evenly. "I will become strong enough to bring Naruto back, I will not fail my teammates again, I- I couldn't face them if-"

Jiraiya had never seen Kakashi cry before, a single tear running from his one exposed eye. All at once, Jiraiya understood, he had watched Kakashi develop since he was a small boy. The youngest graduate ever produced by the academy, right in the middle of a world war. Jiraiya knew he had lost people, and at a young age, but it had never struck him just how badly it had scarred the young man.

The Toad sage heaved a heavy sigh, yet another broken child he was partially responsible for, the list was getting disturbingly long. Jiraiya reached out a hand to Kakashi's shoulder, grasping him firmly. "Fine, I am being dispatched in the morning to find Naruto, you will accompany me in the search, I will do my best to train you, I advise you to see to your students before then, see that your education does not hinder theirs."

The two men looked over in surprise at a knock on the door. "Jeez," Jiraiya said humorlessly. "Aren't I popular all of a sudden." Kakashi moved behind the Sannin as he went to open his door, on the balcony outside the apartment stood two girls, one dark haired, the other pink. Jiraiya recognized them as competitors at the Chunin exam. "Hello," Jiraiya said, surprised. "You're the cannon girl, Sakura Haruno, right? That was one gutsy move, kid. And if I'm judging right from those Ice jutsu you pulled, you're the Yuki girl we found recently, Haku right?"

The two children nodded, the pink haired girl speaking first. "And you're Jiraiya, Naruto's godfather right? One of the Sannin."

Jiraiya nodded, growing slightly more confused that now Naruto was being brought into this.

"What are you doing here Sakura?" Kakashi asked the girl from behind Jiraiya.

Sakura seemed to notice the copy ninja for the first time. "What are you doing here Sensei?"

Kakashi shook his head. "You first."

Sakura sighed. "We came here to ask Master Jiraiya to train us, neither of us can stand the thought of just sitting on the sidelines while Naruto's in trouble."

Kakashi gaped at the girl while Jiraiya snorted. Of course, no one ever cared about his personality, only his sexy, sexy ninja skills. Kakashi began to speak, but Jiraiya silenced him with a hand. "Let me handle this?" He asked, Kakashi nodded, falling silent.

"Why do you both care so much?" Jiraiya asked the pair. "I can guess for you, Sakura, he's your teammate, you want to be there for him, but why do you care, Haku?"

The pale girl blushed a dark shade of pink. "We uhh… I… well-"

Sakura glanced across at the Yuki girl with a look of mingled surprise and annoyance. "Really Haku? You have trouble saying it now of all times?"

Haku glared at the girl. "This is the only time I've had to say it to a family member of Naruto's, who, coincidentally, is also strong enough to kill me with his pinky."

Sakura rolled her eyes, turning back to the confused Sannin. "She's Naruto's girlfriend, okay?"

Jiraiya went still for a moment, staring at Haku. The girl shrunk slightly, but to her credit, stood her ground. "What?" she said defensively. "Got a problem with that?"

"No," Jiraiya muttered absently. "Just… Wow, he bagged a pretty one, huh? Guess that shrinks the list of available bonding activities Naruto and I could share by a fair margin."

There was a long silence, Jiraiya considering the two children, Sakura and Haku gazing back at him with expressions of disgust as they realized what he meant by 'Bonding activities.'

Haku leaned in to whisper in Sakura's ear, loud enough for Jiraiya to hear with his acutely trained hearing. "Is this guy some kind of pervert?"

"He writes smutty romance novels." Sakura whispered back, her expression returning to one of careful neutrality.

Jiraiya let the muttering slide, eventually speaking. "You know what? Fine, you showed promise during the exams and you want to be there for Naruto, as his godfather, I support that, you want special training? You got it."

"Wait WHAT?!" shouted Kakashi, apalled.

Sakura looked up at him with a gleam in her eyes, Haku with quiet determination. "You'll train us?" Sakura asked.

"No," Jiraiya answered. "I'm busy with missions, other students, and writing smutty romance novels," he shot Sakura a look and she more or less entirely failed to look ashamed. "But I'll point you both to someone who can train you in my stead, okay?"

Haku gave Jiraiya a calculating look. "You know someone who can train us as well as you can? Someone as strong as you are?"

Jiraiya shrugged, nodding. "Yeah, all super strong people know all the other super strong people, it's how the world works."

"I question that logic," Haku pointed out. Jiraiya utterly ignored her.

"You, Sakura," the white maned ninja continued. "I'm thinking of sending you to some of my friends over on Mount Miyoboku, back in the exams, you showed you had guts, the guys over there like people with guts."

"And they can make me as strong as you can?" Sakura asked, not entirely convinced.

"Sure, they're the people who trained me." Jiraiya grinned.

"Huh, I'd have thought your teacher would have died of old age by now," Haku snarked, Jiraiya was really beginning to question Naruto's romantic choices.

"I'm not THAT old," the Toad Sage replied. "As for you, I have some friends over in the hidden rain village, they'll probably lend a hand if I ask them."

Haku raised an eyebrow at that statement. "I thought the hidden rain was totally isolationist. Don't they kill trespassers?"

"Only sometimes," Jiraiya said with a wicked grin. "Besides, it shouldn't be an issue, I kinda trained the people in charge of the place. They love me over there. I'll shoot them a message and get it sorted out with the Hokage as well, why not?"

Jiraiya turned to Kakashi, the silver haired ninja looking at him appalled. "You know, I'm kinda surprised not to see Sasuke knocking my door down asking for training, isn't he supposed to be like a brother to Naruto?"

* * *

 **Sasuke:**

Sasuke finished his packing in total silence, emptying out the fridges and the pantry before leaving the apartment for what may be the last time, he didn't want the food to make the place stink while he was gone, it might put people on his trail faster. The boy made his way through the cold night in silence, passing by Sakura's house as he made his way to the village gate.

Sasuke considered saying goodbye, he didn't want her to think she was forgotten, but he also wasn't sure he could bring himself to leave her behind if he saw her. Sasuke turned and continued walking, leaving Sakura's house behind him.

When the boy reached the gate, he found it guarded, a number of ninja, Chunin by the looks of them, stood around the entryway to the village. Sasuke watched from the darkness of an alleyway, planning. He knew he was fast, probably fast enough to make it outside the village before anyone caught up to him, but that was by no means a certain thing, the boy gave a quiet sigh, he would have to use the jutsu he'd been saving up for the final stage of the exam, the one he trained himself at every morning for a month, painstakingly memorizing every nerve cluster in his body, every muscle group, practicing manual control. Sasuke readied himself, the idea had come to him from watching Hunter x Hunter while thinking about how to use lightning chakra to boost his speed, in the show, Killua had done something very much like that, firing electrical currents into his own body to hypercontract his muscles. It had taken a long time to get the idea to actually work, apart from anything else, applying an electrical current to one's own muscle tissue was not as fun as it sounded. Eventually though, Sasuke had sort of managed it. The boy began to glow a faint blue, electrical energy flowing through the whole of his body, he activated his Sharingan, allowing his reaction times to catch up with his now prodigious speed, with that, the boy began to run, unfortunately at exactly the same moment that one of the Chunin spotted him.

Sasuke streaked through the open gate like a literal lightning bolt, five Chunin in hot pursuit, he scowled, this was not good, he needed to find his brother. Both his brothers.

 **AN: Wow, where to start? Three things, firstly, my reasons for Naruto transforming into a lightly Kyuubi like state, apart from the reasons Kurama gave. When Naruto battled Kurama for control of his chakra, he became a little bit different, it was never overtly mentioned, but it was around that point that Kurama became bipedal, some of you might have noticed how he started using his front legs as hands a whole lot more. I'm imagining that here, the opposite happened, because Kurama was the one who took control, it was Naruto who became more like Kurama.**

 **Secondly, some of you might be wondering why the ghost of Naruto's dad didn't appear when he removed the sealing jutsu. If you're wondering that, then good catch, well done, don't worry, I haven't forgotten about it, there is a reason.**

 **Thirdly, Haku being sent to train at the hidden rain, again, some of you might be wondering about that, but like I said in a way earlier chapter (I think it was around chapter 20) I had to make some changes to the structure of the timeline because it made absolutely zero sense. I don't think i'm exaggerating all that much when I say Kishimoto literally had people taking political actions before they were even supposed to have been born, so changes were made. I will expand on those at a later date.**

 **Oh! And just to clarify, When I say, 'bonding activities,' I like to think Jiraiya sees himself as a sort of Rock star uncle, breezing in every now and again to teach his godson neat tricks and help him pick up girls. He can't do that if Naruto's dating someone.**


	40. Chapter 40: Moving onwards

**AN: Okay, so one thing I more or less completely forgot to mention. In cannon, Orochimaru might have had trouble using the resurrection jutsu to take over a village, primarily because the jutsu was imperfect, it left visual imperfections like black eyes and cracked skin in the bodies of the resurrected. But I personally think that, here, Orochimaru would have managed to work past that with relative ease. Way back when Orochimaru introduced himself, I pointed out that he never discovered curse marks because he never had a chance to experiment on Juugo. I figure that because he never did that research, he instead spent the time he would have dedicated to that on other things, like perfecting his resurrection technique. As for whether he has mastered the resurrection completely or has simply managed to combine it with one or two simple cosmetic jutsu, I leave that up to you guys to decide for now. The important thing is, the resurrected Fourth Kazekage that he has working for him looks exactly like he did when he was alive, pretty much the only way to tell would be to stab him and see if he regenerated, which, for obvious reasons, no one is gonna do.**

 **Also, remember those timeline changes I was talking about? Well, for the sake of context, in the original anime, Nagato/Pain was around his early to mid thirties. In order to compensate for Kishimoto's terrible grasp of time, I have added in an extra nine years to his life, so he's now forty two instead of thirty three, this, coincidentally, is also why he isn't with Akatsuki, but more on that later, if anyone wants me to, I might post a summary of the changes I made to the timeline at some point so I don't have to keep explaining this stuff. Anyways…**

 **On with the fic!**

 **Itachi Uchiha:**

The two men traveled in companionable silence as they approached the village, continuing their journey well into the night, neither of them was tired and neither particularly relied on the light to see, for different reasons. As the two neared the perimeter of the leaf village, Kisame came to a stop, the strange, bandage covered blade on his back quivering slightly. The shark-man held out a hand, forcing Itachi to halt as well. "Samehada senses something nearby," Kisame murmured. "A few different flavors of chakra, all around Chunin level, he says one of them kinda tastes like you."

Itachi gave his friend a piercing look. "Sasuke?" he asked. The other man merely shrugged.

"Probably, I've never met the kid, so I'm not sure, all I know is that Samehada says it tastes like sharingan."

"Where?" Itachi asked. Kisame pointed off into the woods and Itachi wasted no time, heading in the designated direction with utmost, silent speed.

Sasuke stood in a small clearing, panting. The boy was surrounded on all sides by Chunin of the leaf village, Itachi cocked an eyebrow at this as he watched, was Sasuke in some kind of trouble? The boy's body was glowing faintly, sparking with a faint blue energy that Itachi could have sworn he had seen somewhere before.

"You don't understand!" the boy yelled at the masked ninja all around him, his face contorted in anguish. "Please, I don't want to fight you, I just need to find Naruto."

That caught Itachi's attention, was Naruto missing? There was something going on here.

One of the masked Chunin, presumably the leader, spoke. "We understand how you feel, Sasuke, but there are ninja better equipped to deal with this problem than a lone, freshly appointed Chunin. I'm sorry, but we have to take you back in. I'll do you the favor of forgetting to mention this incident to the higher ups."

Sasuke growled, lowering into a fighting stance, the surrounding Chunin hesitated, before individually moving to mirror him. "Sorry it has to be like this," One of them murmured. "You're a good kid, looking out for your brother like this."

Itachi lowered himself to sit on the tree branch, watching with curiosity, just how good had Sasuke gotten? He wondered, with the tiniest of rustling sounds, Kisame arrived and sat down beside him. "You gonna help the kid?" the shark ninja asked in a whisper.

"Let's see how he does first." Itachi replied.

Without warning, the two Chunin behind Sasuke moved. The boy it seemed, was ready for them, as they neared him, one swinging a short, stubby club towards him as some kind of non lethal bludgeoning weapon, the other brandishing a set of chakra infused rope ties, the boy disappeared with a sound like the crack of thunder. In the same instant, the boy reappeared beside the Chunin who had taken the lead before, the movement was so fast the boy hadn't even seemed to cross the intervening space. Sasuke thrust a short needle into the man's leg, eliciting a surprised grunt before, with another crack like the peal of thunder, he vanished again.

The five Chunin moved their heads rapidly, each trying to find where the boy had gone. After a few moments, the man Sasuke had attacked, murmured quietly to himself. "Shit, paralysis toxin," before he collapsed. The four Chunin closed ranks, each one scanning in a different direction.

"Okay, since when was the kid this fast?" One of them asked.

"New jutsu?" another posited.

"Yeah," the voice rang out quietly from the nearby treeline, drawing the attention of the gathered ninja before, with another thunderous crack, Sasuke reappeared, albeit for just a moment, jabbing another needle into yet another Chunin's leg, before disappearing once more. "I call it Godspeed," the voice spoke again.

As their ally collapsed, the three remaining pursuers closed ranks once more. "Is… is that an anime reference?" one of them asked.

There was silence for several long moments. "…Maybe." The voice admitted. With yet another crack, Sasuke jabbed a needle into the anime Chunin's thigh. "Killua's my favorite."

The anime Chunin reacted fast, ignoring the tiny blade in his leg, he reached out a hand, grasping Sasuke's wrist before the boy had a chance to make his escape. "I prefer Leeorio myself, Kinda thought you'd be a Kurapika fan though."

The two uninjured Chunin seized the opportunity their valiant geek of a friend had provided, moving to surround Sasuke as the anime Chunin sagged, the paralytic starting to take effect.

"Why would you say that?" Sasuke asked, grunting as he pulled his hand, along with the poison laced needle, free of the other ninjas thigh, flinging it towards one of his two remaining adversaries, the boy was out of luck, this Chunin apparently wore armor under their uniform because the needle simply glanced off of them with a faint clink.

The anime fan dropped to the floor with a thud. "Oh you know," they murmured in a slurred voice. "Super powerful glowy eyes, unquenchable thirst for revenge, small things."

As one, the remaining Chunin tackled Sasuke, forcing him to the ground, one holding his arms, the other, his legs. "Piece of advice Sasuke," the armored Chunin said quietly. "Never expect a single technique to work more than a few times, every time you let your enemy see it, the more opportunities they have to devise a counter. Still though, I'm kinda impressed you took out three of us."

Pinned to the ground, Sasuke chuckled. "You know, the great thing is, this ability works by hypercontracting my muscles, it doesn't just boost my speed-" With a deal of effort, the boy forced his arms and legs apart, breaking the hold the two ninja had on him. "It makes me stronger too." Before the Chunin had a chance to react, Sasuke vanished with another powerful crack, reappearing right alongside the tree where Itachi and Kisame sat. The boy gazed up at his brother in shock, the fight completely forgotten.

There was a long silence, broken only by the scuffling sound of the two Chunin trying to regroup.

"Well this is awkward," Kisame muttered. "Itachi, you deal with this, I'll go handle those Chunin."

Itachi nodded, that had been too close. He had been distracted, watching his little brother fight, he had allowed himself a proud smile, a smile he had barely managed to hide as Sasuke appeared, the dark haired ninja shifted mental gears with jarring speed. He had to ensure that Sasuke never suspected a thing, if he lost his desire for revenge, he would never get strong enough to survive the plans being built up around him.

"Hello, brother." Itachi said, affecting a voice of utter disinterest. "Good to see you've grown, at least a little."

Sasuke did not respond, gazing up at Itachi, tears welling in the corners of his eyes. That wasn't good, the boy was supposed to react with rage at his presence, had Sasuke gone soft? Lost his desire to kill? Itachi swore internally, he had hoped he wouldn't have to rekindle his brother's hate in such a way.

"I-Itachi…" Sasuke began, his voice catching as he spoke. "N-Naruto, he-" Itachi did not let the boy finish, it hurt him more than all his other burdens combined, but he needed to ensure that Sasuke continued to hate him with every fibre of his being, he activated the tsukuyomi, sagging ever so slightly at the burden it placed on his eyes.

The two Uchiha entered the illusory world together, Sasuke looking around in confusion. "B-brother?" the boy asked in a voice of confused anguish.

"I already told you Sasuke," Itachi spoke, in a voice of disgusted umbrage, repeating the words he had rehearsed despite the fact that they only partially seemed to fit the current situation. There was nothing he could do about that, it was extremely hard to find ways to be cruel to his younger brother on the spot, he had needed to rehearse it in advance. "You cannot hope to defeat me until you have eyes like mine. This is my tsukuyomi, the perfect genjutsu, I think I'll use it to give you a little reminder, what I did to everyone you loved, do not forget again why I let you live, if you don't grow strong enough to fight me, you weren't worth keeping alive."

The words had been practiced to be intimidating, designed to shake his brothers pride and stir his rage when he recovered, they didn't seem to be working. Sasuke looked up at his brother with a confused expression on his face. "Itachi, why are you still pretending you wanted to kill everyone?"

In spite of everything, the question caught Itachi off guard, his younger brother was going off script here and he didn't have a counter planned. "W-what? Of course I wanted to kill them, they were a disgrace to our bloodline and stuff." In retrospect, he realized that the 'and stuff' was a mistake.

Sasuke gave his brother a very angry look. "Itachi, the Hokage told Naruto everything, we know you were forced into it."

Itachi gazed at his younger brother in horror. "What?! Shit! What was that old bastard thinking?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Naruto kinda fooled him into thinking we already knew."

Itachi was even more taken aback at this. "Wait, Naruto managed to pull a fast one on the Hokage?"

Sasuke grinned, a slight look of pride crossing his face. "Yup."

"Clever little sod." Itachi said, impressed. "He's ruined everything, but clever, I'll give him that."

Sasuke chuckled, then gasped, gazing back up at his brother in horror once more. "Oh god, I totally forgot for a second. Itachi, Naruto's been kidnapped!"

Instantly, Itachi was serious, a look of cast iron determination covering his features. "Who took him?" he asked. "How long ago?"

"Today," Sasuke replied. "This morning. It was the Kyuubi, Kakashi sensei said it took over Naruto's body and… and… he's gone." Sasuke trailed off, finishing with a quiet sniffle, reaching up an arm to wipe his eyes on his sleeve.

Itachi walked forwards, placing a gentle hand on his brother's shoulder. "It's okay Sasuke. We're going to find him, I promise."

The small boy sniffled once or twice, then nodded, taking on a quiet determination that filled Itachi with pride. "I'm not losing another brother." The boy said quietly.

"Agreed," Itachi said, nodding. "Now, we have three days inside this jutsu, I want you to tell me everything that's happened, we need to make a plan."

 **Naruto:**

The stream babbled quietly through the track it had long ago cut through the surrounding landscape, carrying happy little fish through the idyllic section of sunlit forest, the scene of the day was a perfect picture of quiet serenity.

There was a thunderous crash as the blonde boy struck the water, hard, sending spray in every direction and colliding with the bank of the water. The boy sat up groggily, rubbing his head where it had struck the ground with annoyance, the fish he had been aiming for clutched in his hand.

The sunlit forest rang with an almost offended sort of silence, its picturesque nature disrupted for the first time in centuries.

 ** _Nice one Naruto, very subtle._**

 _Shut up,_ the boy grumbled internally. _This body's stronger than I'm used to, it's throwing me off._ Without looking, the boy dug one of his pointed talons into the fish's head, piercing its thin, membranous skull with ease, granting it a quick death. The boy closed his eyes, not wanting to look at what he was about to do. He took a few deep breaths.

 ** _Naruto, it's fine,_** the beast reassured, its voice friendly. **_The fish was healthy and from a species that humans eat regularly, you don't need to feel weird._**

 _Not helping, Kurama._ Naruto said quietly to himself. With one last calming breath, the boy lifted the dead fish to his mouth, eyes still closed tight. Steeling himself, the boy bit into it, the taste was… unexpectedly good, and the texture, while strange, was somehow appealing to his new senses. For some reason, the fact that Naruto enjoyed it almost made it worse. He swallowed the chunk of fish, suddenly very contemplative, it felt like a line had just been crossed somehow.

 ** _It's just a fish,_** the fox said gently, either sensing or somehow guessing the boy's thoughts. **_Try not to overthink it._**

 _Yeah,_ Naruto sighed. _Sure._ The boy finished his breakfast in silence, chewing thoughtfully.

Eventually, the boy stood, tossing the remainder of the fish carcass back into the stream for the smaller life forms to strip clean and stooping briefly to wash his hands in the running water. _So what are you teaching me today?_

The beast contemplated the question for a moment before he answered. **_Probably some taijutsu, it should serve the double purpose of helping you adapt to your new body._**

Naruto nodded. _Makes sense._

 ** _Well then, first up, we should try and get to grips with your new level of strength. Two days ago, if you were to punch one of these trees full force, what would have happened?_**

Naruto shrugged. _My hand would have hurt?_

 ** _Good, I'm glad we're in agreement. Well then Naruto, I want you to punch a tree for me please, hard as you can._**

 _Why the testing?_ The boy queried. _Don't you already know all this?_

 ** _Actually no,_** the fox replied. **_As it happens Naruto, you are the first Jinchuriki I have fused with so thoroughly as well as the first person I have known to be affected by my chakra from their very conception. I have no idea what you can do now._**

 _Can you stop putting it like that?_ Naruto asked. _Saying it that way kind of makes it feel like you're technically my parent, it feels weird._

The fox went completely silent, so did Naruto, the realization hitting them both at the same time. There was a loaded pause, a very awkward one.

 ** _I… hadn't thought of it like-_**

 _Can we not?_ Naruto interrupted, _The last few days have been weird enough, can we avoid making it even weirder for the moment at least?_

 ** _Naruto I-_**

 _I have already had four parents Kurama, Five is too many, people might start thinking I can't commit._ The joke was a bad one, but Naruto laughed at it regardless, more to relieve the tension than anything else, after a moment or two, the fox joined in.

 ** _Fair enough,_** the fox said with a slight chortle, **_That being the case, why not go ahead and punch one of these trees._**

Naruto nodded, taking a deep breath before locking his gaze on an unfortunate tree. He glared at it, trying to imagine that it had deeply offended him, this oak tree had insulted his family, had insulted Itachi and Sasuke. The boy's red eyes blazed with a vengeful fury, the hapless oak tree rustled its leaves in trepidation. Naruto needed to be more angry, he was at his strongest when he was angry, this tree had… this tree had hurt Haku! That was it! Yes, standing there with its bark all crinkly, not a care in the world for anyone but itself, the insensitive wooden bastard! With a roar of primal fury, Naruto threw himself forwards, hand curling into a fist by instinct as he practically flew towards the nefarious plant life. He slammed his fist against the tree with a crack that sent ripples of sound through the nearby forest, rustling birds from their branches all around.

"…Owww." Naruto moaned, cradling his fist in his other hand.

 ** _…_** ** _Okay, first lesson learned,_** Kurama said, wincing, **_No closed fist strikes when you have two inch claws._**

Naruto gritted his teeth, using his free hand to slowly work his claws free, one at a time, from where they had embedded themselves into his palm.

 ** _Maybe that's enough taijutsu for today,_** Kurama said gently, **_Why don't we continue with that ninjutsu of your mother's that I was teaching you for the tournament, I know you had it down well enough to use, but it could still use a little polish, your rasengan too, actually._**

 _Yeah, fine,_ Naruto agreed, finishing the painstaking process of removing his claws from the wounds in his palm, he flexed his fingers once or twice, wincing slightly. The boy turned to go find himself a clearing to practice, moving the first few steps before turning on his heel to point an accusing finger at the oak tree. "Don't think this is over, you bastard. I remember what you did! I will have my revenge." With that, the boy stalked off. The tree swayed slightly in the breeze, taunting him.

Naruto trained with Kurama until he grew hungry, then he stopped and ate, drinking his fill of nearby water, before continuing. In the evening, they made sure to move a ways before finding a place to sleep. Naruto made sure to use a rasengan on the tree, before they moved on, grinding a hole clean through the trunk of it, he kept a shard of splintered wood in his pouch as a trophy of his victory over a worthy adversary. They continued in this manner for days, gradually losing track of the time passing as they moved through the forest at random, looking for the edge of a settlement or some travelers path that would allow them to navigate their way to… somewhere.

 **Haku:**

The perpetual rain clouds that gave the village hidden in the rain its name hung heavy overhead, constantly showering the girl as she stood outside the gates of the village. The sentries must have spotted her by now, yet they had not reacted. Perhaps they were unsure how to deal with her? Even isolationists hesitated at killing children for trespass, perhaps they were organizing someone to guide her home?

After approximately three hours by Haku's count, a face appeared at the top of the high village wall, looking down at Haku. It was an orange haired man in a heavy robe, probably designed to insulate him against the rain. The two stared at one another in silence for a long while, neither speaking. Eventually, Haku decided to take things into her own hands. "Uhh… Hi," the girl called up to the motionless ninja. Upon her words, the orange haired figure launched himself from the platform, landing in front of Haku, less than a foot away and utterly motionless, his face impassive. "I uhh… I'm Haku, Jiraiya sent me? For training?"

The ninja stood there for several long moments, simply staring at the girl, before breaking into a smile. "Hi Haku!" the man said, holding out a hand. "I'm Yahiko, leader of the village hidden in the rain. It's great to meet you, so old man Jiraiya sent you? How's he doing?"

Haku, caught slightly on the wrong foot, took a moment to recover. "Uhh… Really strong? Kind of a massive pervert?"

Yahiko laughed energetically, clapping a hand on Haku's shoulder. "Good to know he hasn't changed!"

"Hey Yahiko!" a voice called from the top of the wall, another face emerging, this one a redheaded man with a slim build, even with the distance and the rain, Haku thought something looked a bit weird with this one's eyes. "Is that the new student Jiraiya sent us?"

Yahiko turned, looking up at the figure. "Sure is! Come down and say hi!"

"No," came the curt reply, Yahiko's face fell.

"Aww! Why not Nagato?"

The redhead sighed. "The kid's been standing in the rain for hours Yahiko, I'm taking her inside,"

With that, the figure raised a hand, palm outwards, pointing it at Haku. The girl yelped as she was pulled off her feet by the strange jutsu, flying towards the man's outstretched hand with an unsettling degree of speed. The redhead moved his hand slightly, changing the gesture as Haku approached, the girl felt the force that held her lessen somewhat, then begin to reverse drastically as a repulsion force pushed at her, cancelling all momentum and bringing her to a stop. Haku hung there in the air in front of the strange man for a single moment, before she began to drop. The redhead held his hands out under Haku's shoulders, allowing the girl to quite simply fall onto them.

Haku gazed up at the redhead in awe, not at the jutsu, although that had been impressive enough in its own right, but at the man's eyes. "R-r-rinnegan…" Haku muttered, seemingly lost for words.

The redhead chuckled, setting her down on her feet. "Yeah, good catch. Come on, let's get you somewhere dry." The man took hold of Haku's hand, guiding her into the village as Yahiko, grumbling quietly about 'Village leader' and 'respect my authority,' followed behind.

Haku was too stunned to quite parse what Yahiko was saying, too busy focusing more on the fact that the man guiding her was, apparently, the earthly manifestation of a physical god. Well, at least Jiraiya hadn't been lying when he said these people would be strong enough to train her.

The man whose coming had been foretold for a thousand years as the second incarnation of a BIBLICAL MESSIAH, slowly led Haku into an enormously large metal building. Where the outside of the waterlogged village had been deserted, silent but for the constant pounding rain, the atmosphere inside the colossal structure was positively bustling. Everywhere Haku looked there were people moving around, talking merrily to one another as they went about their business, manning stalls and running the days errands. Haku gazed at the scene all around her in awe, she now knew the purpose of having such a massive, monolithic building in such a relatively small village. It was a roof. Looking up, Haku saw, high above them, obstructed occasionally by crisscrossing support struts, a glass ceiling covering the whole area of the building. All along the oddly curving walls, buildings were stacked one on top of the other in enormous, haphazard towers, each one interconnected with tiny struts and sky-bridges or simply just adjoining rooms handing in the air until Haku was uncertain if there were multiple towers or a single long and sprawling complex. In places the tops of the buildings rose high enough to pierce the enormous glass roof, as Haku gazed at one such structure, she noted that the glass didn't seem to have simply stopped where it touched the metal, it almost seemed to have… melted on to it, perhaps they did that to make it watertight? Overall, the hidden rain was breathtaking.

Nagato stopped by the door, shrugging off his heavy coat and setting it on a hook, Haku saw many more, identical coats lining the wall on similar hooks, hundreds of them. "What size are you?" Nagato asked, gesturing to the unfeasibly long rack of coats.

"I uhh…" Haku blushed slightly, embarrassed, before answering in a small voice. "… Girl's small."

Nagato nodded, giving absolutely no impression that he found it even slightly humorous. "Nothing to be ashamed of." He said lightly, guiding the girl across the rack. "I myself happen to be a women's medium, there's no reason to be embarrassed about being a little small."

Haku was rapidly growing to like this man, he was a very pleasant person, once you got past the whole 'technically a god' thing. After a brief search, Nagato found Haku a coat in her size that had yet to be claimed, passing Haku a small slip of paper. "Write your name on there and put it in the slot above the hook, that's your coat now. Well, now that that's all sorted, you look like you could use some tea, and a towel… several towels."

 _Oh yeah,_ Haku realized. _I'm still wet._ The girl felt a sudden urge to shiver, the cold of her waterlogged clothes soaking into her skin. As a matter of convenience, Haku placed her palms together in a simple seal, no need for hand signs for a rudimentary nature manipulation like this. The girl channeled a little bit of chakra and used it to forcibly expel the water from her clothes, drenching everything within a six foot radius, including, she realized belatedly, Nagato and Yahiko. Nagato stood there, gazing at Haku motionless while Yahiko spluttered indignantly. "… Sorry," The girl said awkwardly. "I was cold."

Nagato grinned, dripping slightly. "Don't worry about it." He raised one hand and, with a burst of his own chakra, removed the water from himself in a similar fashion. This time, Haku noted, all the water seemed to hit Yahiko.

"N-Nagato!" Yahiko yelped in surprised anger. "This is no way to treat your leader in front of outsiders!"

Nagato grinned, dropping to one knee and prostrating himself before the orange haired man. "I am deeply sorry my liege, what service can this humble servant possibly offer to redeem himself in your eyes?"

Haku covered her giggle with a faked coughing fit. Nagato glanced at her out the corner of his eye, shooting the girl a grin.

Yahiko, however, seemed somewhat mollified. "You know what? Whatever, just dry me off, okay?"

"Why?" Nagato asked, cocking an eyebrow. "You know water style, why don't you do it?"

Yahiko growled. "Because I'm your leader and I said so, now dry me off!"

Nagato grinned. "As you wish, my lord." the redhead raised his hand, an orb of fire materializing between his fingers. "This will dry you off without fail my lord."

Yahiko gave a small squeak and dashed some distance away. Haku was finding this all slightly surreal, she was pretty sure that these were both at least Kage level shinobi, yet they were playing around with powers like they were children's games.

Eventually, Nagato and Yahiko, slightly singed but very definitely dry, led Haku to an apartment within one of the great towers that spanned the walls of the great construct. The place was small, but cozy, lit in warm hues and decorated in soft, brown colors. A blue haired woman greeted them as they entered. Haku was beginning to wonder if hair dye was a local fashion or something.

"Hello," the woman said in a cheerful voice. "I'm Konan, I see you've already met Nagato and my husband." She gestured to Yahiko.

Haku bowed courteously in greeting. "It is a pleasure to meet you, my lady."

Konan snorted. "I like her," she said to the other two, tussling Haku's hair fondly.

The four chatted briefly while Nagato prepared some tea. The interaction was surprisingly easy for Haku. She had been trained to remain on guard at all times when surrounded by powerful ninja, it was one of Zabuza's first lessons, but each of these people was so warm and friendly, Haku found it quite disarming.

"So," Yahiko asked, sitting with Konan on a couch, resting a hand on one of hers as they drank their tea, Haku and Nagato sharing the couch opposite. "Is this a one time thing or is Sensei planning on sending us regular students from now on?"

Haku considered this. For all she knew, this was a one off, but there were certainly other people in the leaf who stood to gain from instruction. "I honestly don't know," Haku replied. "I think that probably depends on how well I turn out. Would you mind if it became a regular thing?"

Yahiko shrugged. "Not really, might be kinda fun actually, and it's not as if we don't owe Sensei at least this much."

Haku was curious. In normal circumstances, she might have tempered that curiosity as a means of diplomacy, but these people were so open that she felt it okay to just ask. "What exactly did Jiraiya do for you guys, if you don't mind me asking."

Yahiko grinned. "That's a great story!" He said excitably. "It all started wh-" Konan gracefully reached out and covered Yahiko's mouth with her hand.

"Darling, you know I love it when you tell stories, but they take hours. Let me." The woman turned to Haku. "When the three of us were children, this village was the battleground for a continual war, caught in the middle between two warring ninja nations, it was horrible. Over the course of more than a hundred battles, our land was reduced to rubble. All three of us lost our parents in the conflict, either killed by ninja, or by raiding parties, or just disease. It was not uncommon. In order to survive, the three of us banded together and suffice it to say, we failed dismally. We didn't even know how to feed ourselves. That was when Jiraiya found us. The first thing we learned from sensei was how to fish, living off the land lesson one. We owed him enough just for that, but we knew he was powerful, so the three of us begged him to teach us ninjutsu, to give us some way of surviving the constant fighting. After a time, he relented, perhaps when he discovered Nagato's powers. Whatever his reasons, Jiraiya spent three years with us, training us until we were, I suspect, only slightly weaker than you are now. After the end of those three years, our sensei went home, telling us we were strong enough to make it through on our own."

Haku listened, understanding, but not quite getting it. "Okay… I'm with you so far, is that all he did?"

Yahiko nodded, his mouth no longer covered by Konan's hand. "Yeah, pretty much. We never saw him again after that."

"Then, I'm sorry," Haku said, confused. "But I'm not quite sure why you speak of him so incredibly highly, granted, he helped you survive, but isn't that pretty much it?"

Nagato chuckled. "Yes and no, what Sensei gave us was the building blocks, Haku, Over the next ten years, each one of us became stronger, building on the skills that Sensei taught us, we even began to gather a following, loyal ninja who either turned away from the war or defected from the warlord who ruled the rain at the time, an extremely powerful man named Hanzo, the salamander."

"You gathered a following?" Haku asked. "There were people willing to turn against a warlord for you?"

Nagato pointed to his eyes. "These probably helped, the ninja who joined us tended to find them inspiring, at a guess I'd say we picked up most of the more religiously inclined ninja."

Haku nodded. "So, where is Hanzo? The latest intelligence we have is that he's still around somewhere."

Yahiko chuckled. "Nah, we killed him. That's how we took over, killed Hanzo, declared ruler-ship and issued an edict that if anyone tried to wage war here again, we'd slaughter them to the last man."

Haku had heard of Hanzo, the figure was legendary. She remembered hearing that the man had once fought off the Sannin, all three of them, all at once. "How did you manage that? I heard he was amazing."

Konan nodded. "Yeah, but so are we. Thing is, we didn't start gathering followers right away, it took us a while to get strong enough to convince anyone, that only started about seven years after sensei left, that was when we really started gaining traction. Hanzo took notice of how big we were getting, saw us as a threat, moved to strike. It was pretty impressive really, he orchestrated this massive ambush, twenty of his best ninja and him against the three of us, alone, trapped on this little flimsy rope bridge."

"So how'd you live?" Haku asked, confused.

Yahiko fielded that one. "Admittedly, we would have been outmatched pretty severely if it wasn't for Nagato here. Well, you saw that push/pull jutsu he used on you," Nagato raised a palm, pointed at the teapot in demonstration, summoning it into his hand as he stood to refill everyone's cups. "Yeah, that. Well, as it happens, Nagato can pretty much make that as powerful as he wants to, the only drawback being that it takes longer to recharge afterwards, so me and Konan snuggled against him nice and close, so the field wouldn't affect us, and he sorta just let out one big shove. The only enemy who survived it was Hanzo, most of his ninja were standing so close that they were pretty much just vaporized. It was actually kinda cool, see, the bridge we were on was on a mountain path, where the rock had sorta cracked so there was this big split in the mountain, about twenty meters deep. Nagato's push was so strong that it grabbed hold of that tiny seam in the rock face and kinda ripped the mountain in half."

Konan cut in as Yahiko went off on his tangent. "Anyway, after that, we found Hanzo lying barely conscious on the Cliffside, took him prisoner, dragged him back here and gave him a public execution, so you see Haku, Jiraiya was pretty much responsible for us taking control of this country.

Haku thought about this for a second. "Isn't that illegal? I'm pretty sure engineering a foreign insurgency is against an international peace treaty or something. Why isn't Jiraiya in jail?"

Konan shrugged. "It's not widely known fact. Like you said, most of the world thinks Hanzo is still alive right now."

Nagato coughed. "So yeah, that's our story. Now, about your training, what chakra nature do you use as a primary?"

"Wind and Water," Haku replied.

Yahiko nodded. "Yeah, but which one did you get first?"

"Both," said Haku, confused, had they not heard of dual natures before?

The three gazed at her for a while before Nagato spoke. "Kekkei genkai?"

Haku nodded. "Ice style." The girl raised her hand demonstratively, a chunk of it growing in her palm.

Yahiko grinned. "That's cool!"

Haku raised an eyebrow. "Have you never seen a Kekkei Genkai before?"

Nagato shrugged. "They're just a little rare here, most of the countries bloodline families were purged in the fighting."

"Huh." Haku murmured.

The four of them talked for a time about training regimes and combat practice, eating a pleasant dinner when the sky began to grow an even further dark than it had been before, which Haku took to mean it was evening, it was hard to tell under the perpetual clouds.

"Why bother to have a glass roof if all you ever have is clouds?" Haku asked as they ate, to which Yahiko responded.

"Sometimes Nagato will push the clouds out of the way for a while so everyone can get a little sunlight, tires him out pretty bad though." It was strange how normal he managed to make it sound.

As Haku lay on the couch that night, the others having promised to find her a more permanent dwelling at some point, Haku considered everything that had happened. Today had been weird, seriously cool, but weird. She though of Naruto, and felt sadness creeping up at her. She quickly turned her mind to other topics, better to focus on how she could help Naruto than things she could not currently help. Haku turned her mind to Sakura, wondering how her first day of training was going.

 **Sakura:**

Everything was frogs.

…

Everything was frogs.

…

Everything. Was. Frogs.

…

Sakura gazed up at the star lit sky as she lay on the grassy hillside, thinking of her first day. "F#$k!" she shouted to no one in particular. It had not been a good first day. Not only was everything frogs, but as it turned out, frogs were dicks.

 **AN: Thanks for reading, as always, I hope you all enjoyed, if you did, why not review and help stave off my inevitable crippling depression for a few more precious minutes. Bye!**


	41. Chapter 41

**AN: This is another bulk job, so if anyone sees a point where I've accidentally left Haku's gender as male, let me know and I'll make the change. Thanks.**

 **AN: So first up, writing Killer B was hard for a bunch of reasons, first and foremost, he is supposed to talk like a stereotypical black rapper, for one thing I have almost no idea how they speak, (Not just black rappers, american people in general. I'm not from there and you may have gathered, my speech patterns aren't quite what one may call standard to begin with, so I have almost no clue.) But i'm also really uncomfortable working with stereotypes, especially racial ones because it's hard to use them without being racist. I hope I managed to avoid that here, but if I failed, let me know cuz I don't want to offend. To be fair, by the end of shippuden, Killer B had enough inherent character to him that he stepped away from the stereotype, but when he was first introduced, it was fairly jarring.**

 **That said, on with the fic.**

High in the mountainous reaches of the upper levels atop Kumogakure, a dark skinned man trained. At a glance, the man's stance was laughable, holding no less than seven different swords nestled in the crooks of elbows, knees and almost any other available joint. To the four shinobi facing him, however, their foe was no joke, they knew all to well that they must be careful here.

The four shinobi moved to encircle the larger ninja, each drawing their own weapons, each an unusual variant on the basic concept of 'sword.' As one, the ninja attacked, each from a different direction, each with a different variation to their method. One struck with a short, wide blade, infusing it with electrical power as he forced it downwards towards the large man, another thrust her blades out from a distance, the metal seeming to extend towards the man. In response, the taller ninja began to spin, each limb moving in an incredible display of dexterity as he parried the numerous blows on his blades, hopping around one footed as he began his counter attack, focusing first on the user of the thick lightning blade. As the tall man pushed his adversary back, the girl with the elongating blades stepped back, observing the fight. It was always extraordinary watching Master B fight, primarily because there was no logical reason why his style should be so effective, maneuvering his blades in such a way as to not cut himself to ribbons should be enough to reduce his mobility to pathetic levels, but even with such a disadvantage, the man was somehow more dexterous with his right knee than most Jonin were with their hands, she shook her head with a sigh, wondering how incredible Master B would be if he were to use an actual fighting style.

The fight did not last long, B forced the thick blade wielder into submission before returning his attention to the other three, the girl sighed, realizing they were doomed, having just lost their best fighter. The remainder of the spar was done within minutes. The four shinobi all panting and wiping sweat from their brows, Killer B looking utterly unconcerned, still holding his blades in every nook of his body even while at rest, balanced on one foot with the other leg bent at a strange angle.

"Enough for today, yo," Master B spoke. "I gotta sit down for a while, old Eight tails wants to talk to me."

The students nodded, traipsing their way back down the steps towards the village as Killer B sheathed his swords -a relatively complex process- and sat himself down on the tiled ground.

 _What is it Gyuki?_ B asked his friend quietly, _you sounded pretty serious before._

 ** _Yes B,_** the eight tails responded, **_One of my brothers would like to speak with you._**

 _One of your brothers?_ B asked, _You mean another tailed beast? How am I s'posed to talk to them?_

 ** _I can take you inside to speak with him, if you trust me._**

Killer B grinned, _Course I do, do what you gotta._

The dark skinned man closed his eyes, allowing his friend to pull his mind deep within himself.

 **Naruto:**

The boy stood in the river quietly, the water lapping at his knees as it flowed past him, in total stillness, he awaited his breakfast.

 ** _Naruto,_** The fox spoke within his mind, **_I need a word._**

The boy didn't move, _Go ahead, I'm listening._

 ** _I spoke with one of my brothers, Gyuki, the eight tails._**

 _Yeah?_ The boy asked, _What about?_

 ** _About you actually,_** the beast responded, **_I wanted some advice about humans adapting to full partnerships with their tailed beasts._**

This caught Naruto slightly off guard, a fish swam past him, the perfect size, and he fumbled the catch as he stooped for it. The boy hissed in annoyance, before retreating to the riverbank and sitting on the cool grass. _And what did he have to say?_

 ** _He suggested you talk to his Jinchuriki, a man from Kumogakure named Killer B, one of the few Jinchuriki to ever achieve complete harmony with their tailed beast, as you now have._**

Naruto nodded, more than a little relieved, _Yeah, that'd be nice, I'd like to talk to someone who gets this from a human standpoint, not that you aren't good to talk to Kurama, it's just… frames of reference._

The beast gave a small sigh, an undiscernible emotion touching his voice, **_Yeah, I know._**

Naruto hesitated, building up the courage to ask his next question, _Is… is he like me?_ Naruto asked, _Did his body change?_ A part of Naruto hoped the answer was yes, another part of him hated himself for that, he was adjusting, yes, but he wouldn't wish this on anyone.

Kurama paused a long while before he replied, going silent so long Naruto wondered if he had said something wrong. _…Kurama?_

 ** _Sorry,_** Kurama said eventually, **_I had to go and ask whether physical change had manifested, I've never actually seen this man before. The answer is yes, but as far as I can tell, Killer B was lucky, his changes were harder to notice. Gyuki is a large brown creature borrowing aspects from a bull and an octopus. B took on a change in skin color, but the man had dark skin to start with, so only his close friends and family really noticed, apart from that, he gained a heightened degree of dexterity in his limbs, similar to Octopus tentacles. He also experienced a change to his eyes, but covers it with goggles._**

Naruto had mixed feelings about all this, for one, his changes seemed far more… external than B's, he wasn't entirely sure the man could be of much help in that regard, on the other hand, he could still be a good person to talk to, even if he only partially understood how Naruto felt. _Yeah… let's do it, is there anything I need to do? Do you know how to get to Kumogakure from here?_

 ** _Just relax yourself,_** the fox said calmly, **_We have no need to go all the way to Kumogakure, it would be a long journey and we don't even know where we are. Now that we have fused properly, I can instead simply transport you with me to the plane of the tailed beasts, we can speak to him there._**

 _Wait,_ Naruto said cautiously, _Am I actually going to move somewhere or is this a mental thing like when I broke the seal?_

 ** _It's a mental thing,_** the beast reassured him, **_Your body will be fine._**

Naruto hesitated, then shook himself, worrying about all this and doing nothing was just silly. The blonde boy lay himself down in the grass, closing his eyes, _Whenever you're ready._

* * *

Naruto awoke in a dark place, the only light seeming to rise from the floor beneath him, illuminating him with a dim glow. Glancing up, Naruto was unable to make out any sort of ceiling, only inky blackness.

 **"Done,"** the rumbling voice made Naruto jump, turning to see Kurama behind him, the titanic creature sitting on its hind legs and looking down at the boy calmly.

"This is the place?" Naruto looked around once more. "Kinda empty."

The fox chuckled. " **It needs a lot of open space, the inhabitants are quite large."**

Before the conversation had a chance to continue, there was a slight rumbling noise. Naruto turned, seeing in the distance a gargantuan figure that words almost failed to describe. Horned, with the torso of a man and the lower half of an octopus, the eight tails was a strange sight. Standing on its shoulder, Naruto noted, was a man, tall and muscular, dressed in a strange ensemble of garments and carrying, in Naruto's opinion, at least three too many swords. The man leaped down from the creatures shoulder and crossed the distance to Naruto at a jog, waving when he came close.

"Yo," he called out as he neared the boy. "Name's Killer B kid, nice to meet ya."

"Uhh, hi," Naruto said, raising his hand in a cautious wave. "I'm Naruto, this is Kurama."

 **"Hello,"** the beast said, its tone almost indifferent, before standing with a stretch. " **Well, I'm off to talk to Gyuki, you two enjoy your 'human talk'"**

B waved at the departing beast before turning once more to face Naruto. "Huh," he muttered. "You don't look all that weird, except how it kinda looks like you've been camping for a month or two. I thought Gyuki said the fusion messed you up?"

Naruto cocked an eyebrow in confusion. "What are you talking about?" he said, glancing down at himself. "The changes are pretty cl-"

His claws were gone, why were his claws gone? Naruto refused to feel hope, quite certain this was not as good as it seemed. "Hey Kurama!" he shouted at the retreating beast. "Why do I look normal again?"

 **"This is a mental projection,"** the fox called over its shoulder. " **You look like what you remember yourself looking like, the change is too recent for you to have assigned it as a permanent change."**

Yeah, Naruto sighed, it wasn't as good as it looked. The boy turned back to B, pointing to his face. "In the real world, my eyes are dark red, not just the cornea, the whole things, 'cept the pupils. My teeth are so pointy and sharp that it's messing with my speech and my I have claws sharp enough that I stab myself in the hand if I try to punch anything."

Killer B listened as the boy spoke, nodding once or twice. "Heavy," he said simply.

Naruto nodded with a groan. "Yeah, it is. I look like a friggin monster."

Off in the distance, Kurama shouted. " **Oi! You look like me, Naruto!"**

"Exactly, a monster," Naruto shrugged, the beast turned back to its brother with a huff.

The older man considered this for a minute or so. "Doesn't sound too bad," he said after a while. "the claws can be filed down, long as they ain't sensitive, the teeth are only a little weird, and for the eyes, you can just wear goggles or something like I do."

Naruto cocked his head slightly in confusion. "How are the teeth only a little weird? I have whole mouth full of canines."

B shrugged. "You might not have been around too long, but having funky lookin' teeth is pretty normal for a ninja. I know like five guys who have special teeth for their ninjutsu, there's this one guy from the mist village with shark teeth, on top of that, his skin is blue, you look totally normal next to that guy. If it really bothers you, see a dentist, they could fit you out with fake teeth."

From far away, Kurama called out. " **This is your body Naruto, I don't want you damaging it just to look normal."**

"You're not my dad." Naruto called back.

 **"I kind of am,"** came the reply.

"Shut up."

Turning back to the older man, Naruto replied. "I'm pretty sure that won't work though, I think they'd grow back, maybe even through dental implants, that wouldn't be pretty." The boy shuddered slightly at the mental image.

The dark skinned man shrugged. "Then I guess you gotta learn to live with it, pointy teeth can't be too much of a problem, people ain't gonna be afraid of you just for that."

"It-it's not whether I scare people that's the problem," the boy said in a small voice, staring at his feet. "I-I mean it is, but I figure it's something I can deal with. What if… what if I like someone and they don't like me back cuz of how I look?"

The older man nodded in understanding, reaching out to place a large hand on the boy's shoulder. "Yeah, I get you little man. Is there someone special like that already, or are you talkin' like, in future?"

Naruto continued staring at his feet as he replied. "I was… I was kinda dating someone when all this started, they haven't seen me yet, what if it freaks them out?"

Killer B sighed, not one for mulling things over when he didn't have an answer. "Yeah, I see what you mean, it's a pretty big change, and this special person's gonna be the one who has to deal with all of it, even the stuff you can cover up most of the time. I can't say I have an answer, what I can tell you is that a lotta people out there have managed to get dates even with funky teeth or weird eyes. I've had more than a few girlfriends since I changed, a couple of em thought the eyes were weird, one or two couldn't deal, but more than a few stayed, I think it depends on this special someone of yours."

Naruto cocked an eyebrow at the older man, the way he was talking about it made it sound like he'd had quite a few girlfriends in his life. "Just how many girls have you dated since the change?" Naruto asked, trying to be polite.

The man didn't respond at first, a thoughtful look crossing his face, before taking a step back and muttering to himself, counting off on his fingers. "Let's see, there was that one, then there was her, plus I dated those twins for a few months… Hmm… I think it's about seventeen." He answered finally.

Naruto gaped at the man, unsure whether to be impressed or alarmed. "D-did you say you dated twins?" Naruto asked. "At the same time?"

Killer B chuckled. "Yeah, Identical sisters, that was crazy, I had no idea there were two of em, all I knew was this girl kept changing her name for some reason. A few months in, one of em comes up to me and accuses me of cheating on her with her sister and I'm like 'Wait, you have a sister?'"

Naruto snorted, shaking his head. "If that wasn't true it would be the lamest excuse in the world."

The taller man rubbed the back of his head ruefully. "Yeah, guess that's why they didn't believe me. Even if they did though, what were we supposed to do? I couldn't keep dating both of em and I couldn't choose between em cuz that'd just make things go bad with the other one, there was no good way to go."

Naruto giggled slightly, he liked talking to Killer B, it helped him feel normal again.

 **AN: Now, some of you may have found the three rain shinobi somewhat jarring because they weren't horrifyingly depressed like in the anime. You need to remember, in this iteration, they have no reason to be sad, they won their battle, they never got the idealism kicked out of them. In building the personalities for these three, I tried taking the three of them as they were when Jiraiya left, namely, a bunch of playful, optimistic children, and then walking that forwards about twenty seven years, this was the result, a bunch of good friends who enjoy a laugh together. It is also a part of my interpretation that Nagato found a different answer to the question of peace than in cannon. In cannon he basically took the. "If I can build a nuke, everyone will have to do as I say and be nice to each other," route, but here he pretty much just figured. "No, true peace is impossible, instead I'll take all the people I care about, found a little country with them, and at the very least, carve out a small chunk of wholesomeness in the world."**

 **As always, thanks for reading, I hope you liked it and if you did, why not review? Every review I receive is a puppy that gets to live :)**


	42. Chapter 42

**AN: Formatting sentence, Ho!**

* * *

 **Sakura:**

"I am sorry child, but the toads of Mount Myoboku refuse your training."

The words stung Sakura just as they had the day before, she gazed up at the wizened old toad, eyes shining bright with defiance instead of the tears she had struggled to hold back the previous day.

"Can you at least tell me why?" The girl asked, her voice carefully controlled.

The enormous creature looked down at Sakura, a gentle look on its face. "I can, young one, but I fear the answer will only cause you pain."

"Tell me," the girl said, her voice hard.

The old toad sighed. "Of course, you still wish to know. Curiosity was always a defining trait of your species. Very well, child, I will tell you." The toad took a long breath, gazing up into the dark rafters of the room set deep into the mountainside, before it continued. "I am a being of prophesy, young one. For over a thousand years, I have seen into the deepest reaches of the far future. Long ago, the future was revealed to me that the ninja world would face its greatest threat and, by the winding paths of fate, two heroes would be birthed from this world to save it. You know these heroes well, child, they are your closest friends."

Sakura had to admit, this was not the answer she had expected. "Are you telling me that Sasuke and Naruto are some kind of chosen ones?" she asked.

The great toad nodded slowly. "That certainly would not be inaccurate, young one, you see how important it is that these two reach their potential, the fate of our world hangs in that delicate balance."

Sakura tried to process this, failed, then pushed it from her mind, it was beside the point. "Okay…" she said quietly after some time had passed. "Why exactly does that mean you can't train me?"

The old sage gazed down at the girl kindly, not a hint of malice on his wrinkled face. "Because, Sakura, you may well be the most important piece of this ancient plan, the most vital. Both of these boys will be influenced by you in a myriad of ways, nudging them always on the path to their power, you are the centrepoint for their strength Sakura."

"So then why do I have to be weak!?" The girl asked, her voice nearly a shriek.

With utmost patience, the elderly prophet gave Sakura a sad smile of understanding. "Because it is your weakness that guides both boys towards their strength, Sakura, one of them more so than the other, the blonde haired boy shall grow greatly in his love for you, the need to aid you, to bring back the one you love in turn from the great serpent's grasp."

This caught Sakura off guard for many reasons, she cocked her head to the side, confused. "Did you say the blonde boy?" She asked.

"Indeed," the old sage said, his voice echoing with the ancient gravity of his words, the finality of his certainty. "I have spent many centuries ensuring it would be so. The blonde one shall feel greatly for you, and shall pursue the last Uchiha in his absence in your stead, despite the knowledge that his feelings shall never be returned. This will be the source of his strength, the reason he will be ready when the final battle comes."

Sakura was fairly certain something was wrong at this point, she had seen many sides of Naruto in her months with him, and never once had she seen any sign that he had feelings for her, frankly he seemed more than happy with Haku. "How…" Sakura started, trying to figure out just what she was supposed to say. "How… often do you check this future?" She asked eventually.

The old sage nodded. "A good question, young one. I check the fates regularly to ensure it all remains on track, I last checked a little over fifteen years ago, knowing that the hero's would soon be borne into this world."

It was wrong, Sakura realized, dumbfounded. This ancient being had undergone a thousand year campaign to render her weak, all for a prophesy that had gone wrong because this old bastard was too lazy to check his crystal ball in the mornings. The girl's shock quickly became rage, she looked up at the old sage, greatest and strongest warrior of mount Myoboku. "F#*k you," she said quietly.

"What was that?" Gamamaru asked, a hand to his ear. "I didn't quite hear you."

"FUCK YOU!" Sakura shouted, her lungs forcing out the words as though if she yelled them hard enough, the old frog may feel their impact in some small way.

Gamamaru heaved a sad sigh. "I told you the answer would cause you only pain."

Sakura had had enough, she charged at the old toad, running towards him at full pelt, needing to find some small way of hurting the world's most ancient idiot. A smaller toad, one of the two who had summoned Sakura and introduced himself as the toad sage Fukusaku, moved from his position by the entrance to intercept the girl.

"I can understand why you might be upset, young one," He murmured, pushing Sakura back and taking up a defensive stance. "But I will not allow you to attempt harm upon the elder."

There was a long silence between them, Sakura knew she didn't stand even the faintest chance of beating Fukusaku, he wouldn't let her anywhere near the old sage, Sakura refused to be beaten. The two gazed long and hard into one another's eyes, neither Sakura nor Fukusaku blinked. After what seemed like an age, the girl turned, walking silently from the cave, her hands clenched into fists.

The two old sages watched her go.

"That could have gone better," Murmured Fukusaku. "Although, I can see why the girl would be upset. It isn't an easy thing to be told your destiny is to be useless."

Gamamaru let out a long, sad sigh. "I know young one. Believe me, if I knew of another way, I would take it."

The two sat in contemplative silence for a long while. Quietly, as though from a long way off, Fukusaku heard a small bang from outside the cave. "Hmm," The old sage said. "I wonder what that could b-"

The steel ball slammed into Gamamaru's belly with a force and fury unknown to the old sage in all his long years, driving the air from his lungs in a great heave, his eyes went wide from the pain. As Fukusaku stood, watching in shocked awe, the small ball disappeared with a puff of smoke. "Let me make one thing very clear," Sakura spoke, her voice low and calm, pink hair hanging bedraggled as she grabbed hold of the old frog's stomach with both hands and began pulling herself bodily upwards towards his face. "I refuse to be weak. Whether by your training, by someone else's, even if I have to do it all by my goddamn self. I refuse to be left behind with every fiber of my being."

The two toads stared at the girl, eyes wide, one with his mouth hanging wide, the other still wheezing from the blow to his gut. Sakura finished pulling herself up, she clung to the old toad's face, staring directly into his eyes. "Now, I'm only going to tell you this once, check the future again." The girl stared into the eyes of the most powerful sage on the planet, he blinked first.

The old toad closed his eyes and focused his soul, mustering every scrap of his wisdom to peer into the misty reaches of the future, seeking with clarity, a view of the path the world would tread. The old toad expected the familiar vision, two saviors laying together in the blasted crater that had once been the valley of the end, battered, bleeding and alive.

This time however, the old toad saw something else entirely. Gamamaru opened his eyes wide again, staring in confusion and horror at the small girl perched on his face. "Shit…" he said, his voice small.

"Train me." Sakura responded, evenly.

"…All is lost, our greatest ho-" The old sage began in a whisper, his quiet litany broken when Sakura slapped him, the blow was weak, he probably wouldn't even have felt it, except that she aimed the blow directly into his eye. "…Ow."

"Train me." Sakura repeated, her gaze not wavering from Gamamaru's eyes.

"…Why?" He asked. "What could training you do? What benefit could it reap in the war to come?"

Sakura shook her head angrily, a fierce determination shining on her face. "Let me be clear, I don't want you to train me because you think it will help, I don't want you to train me because I'm fated to save the world. I want you to train me because fuck fate, Fuck you and most especially, FUCK the very THOUGHT of making ME the damsel in distress. DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?!" the last words were flat out shouted into Gamamaru's face. Fukusaku looked up at the girl, impressed, it took a lot to make the toad lord flinch like that.

Sakura strode from the cave that afternoon with clenched fists, every inch of her being radiating righteous fury. The next day, the training of Sakura Haruno began.

 **AN: I like Sakura.**


	43. Chapter 43

**AN: Nothin to see, on with the fic.**

 **Orochimaru:**

The leaf village discovered the fourth Kazekage after only a few short days, bound and gagged in the lower level of an abandoned outpost tower, the ruse was taken hook, line and sinker. Orochimaru watched from a distance as the lord of the sand was 'rescued,' emergency aid provided for him on the spot, the man feigned injury well, refusing treatment by leaf ninja in case secrets to his jutsu be discovered in his body. The leaf saw the Kazekage returned home along with his contingent, exactly as planned.

Orochimaru wasted no time in making his next move, with almost simplistic ease, the snake sage retrieved a body suitable for use, another of the sound ninja who had failed him, while Kin Tsuchi had been fool enough to reveal herself as his underling, Dosu Kinuta had been far too brash in executing his duties over the course of the exam, he gave his body in penitence. Orochimaru took the fresh corpse to the graveyard of the hidden leaf. The lord of snakes had to admit, he had been surprised Naruto had managed to repel him as well as he did, Orochimaru wasn't completely certain he'd have managed to kill the boy even if he had intended to during their little fight. What was more, Jiraiya was now in play, the snake lord needed stronger pawns. Coming to one particular grave, Orochimaru knelt down, plunging a hand into the soft soil before channeling his chakra, moving the earth around to push the buried corpse up towards him. After a few seconds, Orochimaru withdrew his arm, the ground closing up the gap, leaving it seamless. The sannin had what he needed, glancing in mild distaste at the slime covered chunk in his hand, he threw down Dosu's corpse, placing the piece of rotting matter atop it, before beginning the jutsu.

After a time, the resurrection was complete, the dark haired ninja lay on the ground, slowly raising a hand to his face, pressing it to his cheek as if to tell that this was all a lie.

Orochimaru chuckled. "Don't worry Shisui, you're still dead, just a little bit more useful than most corpses."

Recognizing the voice, Shisui Uchiha sighed. "Orochimaru? Damn, so I'm to be used as some kind of pawn?"

"Indeed," the snake sage chuckled. "Your Mangekyou was far too precious to allow you to remain dead, the only perfect mind control jutsu in existence, I just had to have it for myself. Now get up, we have some people we need to go and see."

Shisui stood with a sigh, his eyes still closed. "By your leave then."

Orochimaru cocked his head to the side. "You seem oddly calm about all this, why?"

Shisui shrugged. "Is there anything I can do to stop you?"

"Not really, no."

"Then why get upset about it?" Shisui asked.

"How philosophical," Orochimaru laughed. "Very well, follow me, we must make haste before the Kyuubi's trail grows cold."

The two ninja set off at a run, heading into the forest at speed. Joined shortly thereafter by four more, forming around their master in silence as they made their way towards the scent of Naruto Namikaze.

 **Itachi:**

Itachi and Kisame were impressed, despite the speed at which they traveled through the forest, Sasuke was keeping up without complaint, even after deactivating his enhancement jutsu. The speed of that technique had been remarkable, but the sound it made whenever Sasuke moved rendered it more a tool for combat than stealth. The three ninja made their way north, Itachi's best guess for where the Kyuubi had taken the boy, it made sense that the fox would have spirited Naruto away to somewhere uninhabited if it wished to keep itself hidden.

Kisame took the lead, holding Samehada aloft as he waved the blade slowly from side to side, letting it taste the air like a snake. Sasuke had shown Kisame the strange, alabaster white sword that he claimed to be Naruto's chakra blade, letting the sharkskin creature taste the residual chakra remaining within it. With that, it had become easy, Samehada had a taste of Naruto's energy, and was able to use it to track him, they just needed to catch a single whiff.

The search took them most of the night, but after a time, the trail was found. The three ninja redoubled their speed, heading to recover the wayward brother of the last two Uchiha.

 **Kakashi:**

The two ninja moved through the treetops at speed, the larger man talking constantly while the other lagged a few meters behind.

"Seriously though Kakashi, how am I supposed to connect with the kid if we don't even have women in common?" Jiraiya moaned. "That's what I was pretty much banking on for this. If I can't share my wisdom about women, how can I get the kid to respect me?"

"Mmhmm…" Kakashi murmured, not listening to the other man as he continued his practice, teaching yourself new jutsu while travelling was turning out to be quite difficult.

Jiraiya shot the younger ninja a glance over his shoulder. "You're doing it wrong," he muttered, falling back to show Kakashi the hand signs once more. "I wasn't expecting you to struggle this much, copy ninja," he quipped.

"What was that you were saying about being a terrible father figure?" Kakashi replied, irritated.

Jiraiya shot Kakashi a withering glare, but fell silent. The two traveled together in silence for a time, stopping briefly as a small form shot towards them through the trees, landing on a branch beside Kakashi.

"Well Pakkun?" the man asked. "Any sign of his smell?"

The dog hesitated for a moment. "I… Don't know," he replied, his deep voice touched by a hint of uncertainty. "It might be him, but it might not."

Kakashi gazed at the dog, confused. "Explain?" he asked, he had never seen Pakkun uncertain before.

The dog paused again, contemplating his response. "I caught a whiff of something that smells _like_ Naruto, but only sort of. It smells… off. Like a kid, but also kind of like an animal, whatever it is, it reeks like dead fish. I don't know what the fox is doing to the kid, but if that's him, you need to hurry."

The two ninja nodded, for the moment, it was the best lead they had. "How far?" Kakashi asked.

"At a run? Two days, maybe."

 **Naruto:**

 ** _Naruto,_** Kurama murmured, jarring the boy from a fitful slumber, **_I sense people approaching, be very careful._**

Naruto kept his body carefully controlled, forcing his eyes to remain closed, his breathing steady, he feigned sleep as Kurama allowed his emotion sense to link through to Naruto's mind, a small perk of the broken barrier. The boy felt them now, six people, four nearby, surrounding him, another two off in the trees. Naruto focused on the two in the distance for a moment, they felt strange, one was… numb? No, the emotions were there, he could feel them, but it felt as though they were being held back somehow, restrained. The other… Naruto felt the bottom drop out of his stomach.

 _Is that…?_ Naruto left the question unfinished, hoping he was wrong.

 ** _Orochimaru,_** the fox confirmed, **_I may need to take over again for a while, Naruto, I don't want to think what happens if he catches us._**

The boy felt a weary sort of resignation at his friends words, _If you must, not until you have to though, okay?_

The voice within the boy hesitated for a moment, **_…fine, be careful Naruto._**

The boy lay still as the four shinobi approached, each of them oozing confidence, they didn't expect to lose to him, that much was certain. Orochimaru, on the other hand, he seemed less sure of their abilities, his cold thoughts touched with a hint of wry amusement as he watched his underlings make their approach.

By some unspoken signal, the four ninja leaped for Naruto's unmoving form, each of them moving in near total silence, sound ninja? When they were each less than a foot from him, Naruto moved, pressing his hands into the ground to launch himself up into the air. The four ninja landed on the ground where he had been a moment before, momentarily confused. Before they had time to recover, Naruto landed in their midst, almost as silent as they had been.

Each of the four assailants noticed Naruto at different times, even the fastest of them, a dark haired, brown skinned boy notable for having two extra sets of arms, was surprisingly slow on the uptake. Naruto rewarded the boy for being the first to find him with a swift kick to the chest, launching the older boy across the clearing and into a tree with a loud crunch.

Naruto had not been sure until that point just how much stronger his fusion with the fox had made him, quite a bit, the answer seemed to be.

The three remaining assailants backed away, two men and a young woman, she raised a flute to her lips. Naruto reacted instinctively, sound ninja were dangerous if they had noise tools. The girl made it halfway through the first note before Naruto's claws, enhanced by a brief surge of wind chakra, sliced through the metal flute like butter. The two men closed in from either side, a large, bearlike man with more than a little around his stomach, and a silver haired youth who moved with a strange jerkiness. Naruto decided to deal with the big one first, throwing himself to the side and shoulder barging the large man in the stomach, pushing him out of the way, the bear like ninja fell to the ground, gagging. In the distance, Orochimaru and his companion dropped lightly from their tree. Naruto ran.

* * *

Naruto had been fast before the transformation, with his body the way it was now, he was faster still. Unfortunately, Orochimaru and his companion were even faster. Naruto ran with all the speed his body would allow, his muscles burning as he pushed them to their limit, trying to gain just a foot of distance, a single inch. Inexorably, Orochimaru drew closer.

 ** _Naruto,_** Kurama spoke quietly as Naruto ran.

 _Yeah, I know, you need to take over,_ the boy answered, making no effort to conceal his frustration.

 ** _No,_** the fox responded, **_Newcomers, feel them?_**

Still running, Naruto turned his attention to another set of minds, heading towards him at speed, these two minds filled only with concern. Naruto felt his heart sink, _please don't let it be them._

Orochimaru drew closer still, only a few meters behind the fleeing boy, it seemed he had yet to notice the two newcomers. That was remedied when Jiraiya's fist slammed into his face in midair, sending him tumbling from the treeline towards the ground. Orochimaru caught himself before he hit the ground, landing lightly on his feet, it seemed his sense of showmanship was undamaged at the very least.

Naruto kept running, Orochimaru and his companion turned to face Jiraiya, the man who had arrived with Jiraiya however, turned and continued to pursue Naruto.

The boy fled, unsure how to feel about his rescue. In some ways, this new arrival could be even worse, at the very least, his remaining pursuer wasn't as fast as Orochimaru had been, managing only to keep pace with Naruto as he ran.

"Naruto!" the familiar voice stopped the boy dead, he turned to face his pursuer, claws raised and ready.

 **Kakashi:**

Kakashi came to a stop a few meters from Naruto, the boy staring up at him with a look that could only be described as fear etched into his face. The first thing Kakashi noticed were the eyes, a deep, blood red, then came the claws. It hurt Kakashi more than he had expected to see the boy like this, his body feral, clothes torn and ragged, his eyes animalistic and untrusting.

"Naruto…" Kakashi murmured quietly, almost imploringly. "Are… are you in there? Are you okay?"

The response was not even close to what Kakashi had expected. Tears began to flow down Naruto's face, Kakashi could see the boy trying to hold himself together, even as he began to sniffle quietly.

Despite himself, Kakashi took a thoughtless step forwards, momentarily intent on nothing more than comforting the boy. It was a mistake, Naruto was on guard again instantly, claws bared.

Kakashi wisely took a step back, raising his hands in an open gesture. "Its okay, I won't hurt you. We can fix this Naruto. We can make this better."

The boy did not drop his guard completely, but he did seem to consider it, after a moment that felt like an eternity, Naruto spoke, his voice broken and husky. "C-can you… can you promise not to hurt Kurama again?"

This surprised Kakashi, he had thought the boy would have rejected the beast after it took him over like it did, just how much had the thing managed to manipulate this poor child? Kakashi felt a surge of anger, but kept his body carefully controlled. It didn't seem to matter, the boy flinched away, just how perceptive was Naruto? "It's okay," he said quickly, making an effort to calm himself. "You're alright now."

"My question made you angry," the boy responded, reproachful. "You tried to hide it, but you're angry, I need you to promise not to hurt Kurama."

Kakashi considered the boy for a long moment, forcing himself to remain utterly calm. "…And if we replace the sealing jutsu? Would you be okay with that? We could do it without hurting him, I promise."

The boy didn't move, neither becoming more agitated, nor noticeably calming. "You're repressing them, I can't tell what you're feeling because you aren't letting yourself feel anything. How am I supposed to tell if you're being honest with me when you won't even let me see what you're feeling?"

Kakashi was stunned, Naruto being able to tell he was angry was one thing, being able to tell he was repressing his emotions was on another level entirely, he rallied relatively quickly. "I'm doing that because I don't want to alarm you Naruto," he said honestly. "Truthfully, I'm very angry and very worried for you right now, but I don't want you to get the wrong impression. I'm holding back because you seem to be worried about the fo- about Kurama, you think I shouldn't be angry with him. I don't know what you know that makes you trust him, but right now, he's the one who kidnapped the child of my closest friends. I am restraining my emotions because it seems important to you that I hear him out, and I don't want to scare you with how furious I am with him." Kakashi allowed himself to feel a little, allowing his sincerity and concern out from inside his solid mental constraints, it was more than challenging, but it seemed to calm the boy, if only a little.

Naruto lowered his claws a fraction, gazing up at Kakashi. "He only ran like he did because you were hurting him, the only reason I didn't come back was because I knew you'd try and hurt him again." The boy's tone was deeply reproachful. Kakashi sighed, that made sense, he wasn't surprised the fox had sold the boy on that line, he felt a flicker of anger once more, repressing it quickly. Not fast enough, the boy took another half step back. "You promised you'd hear him out."

Kakashi took a moment to secure himself, taking a firmer hold on his mind, deeply thankful to Inoichi for teaching him to defend against psychic attacks, whatever Naruto was doing, it was extraordinary. "I did," Kakashi said eventually. "Sorry, it's hard to hold it all back. How… how are you re-"

Naruto shifted his position, staring past Kakashi and dropping into a crouch. "They're coming," he interrupted.


	44. Chapter 44

**AN: Nuthin' to see here, on with the fic.**

 **Kakashi:**

The silver haired ninja turned to face the same direction as Naruto, pulling his eye patch up his face to reveal his single sharingan. "Naruto, I want you to run, Jiraiya and I can handle this, we'll catch up to you once we're done here," Kakashi reached into his pouch, tossing the boy a small object. "Use my compass to head home, the village is to the south east of here, we should meet you before you get there."

Naruto caught the compass, glancing between Kakashi and the empty forest behind him, before taking off at a run. Kakashi let out a sigh of relief, at least they wouldn't have to fight with Naruto right there.

A few moments later, Jiraiya emerged from the treeline, landing hard on his back but rolling smoothly to his feet in a seamless motion, Orochimaru landed at the edge of the trees, his strange companion stood silently next to him, face covered by a dark hood.

"How is he?" Jiraiya asked, moving to stand beside Kakashi.

"Scared and feral," Kakashi replied. "But as far as I can tell, Naruto's the one in control right now, I sent him back to the village."

Jiraiya nodded. "That's good to know at least, means I can focus on this fight properly."

 **Naruto:**

The boy wasn't sure what else there was he could do, obeying Kakashi's instructions, he turned and ran, making his way into the trees away from Orochimaru. Naruto lifted a sleeve to wipe at his eyes, the residual tears impeding his vision as he moved, he had no idea how to feel about any of this. Everything Kakashi had said had been what he wanted to hear, they could try and fix his body, they could go back to normal, Kakashi had even promised to give Kurama a fair chance, Naruto wished he had some way of telling how much of it was a lie.

The boy's problems were not over yet, it seemed, as Naruto made his way deeper into the forest, trying to create as much distance between himself and Orochimaru as possible, three new figures emerged on the edges of his emotional perception, two of them worried as Kakashi and Jiraiya had been, the third vaguely curious. More leaf ninja? The boy let out a small snarl of frustration, turning slightly so move his trajectory away from theirs, after a few moments, the new arrivals altered their direction to match. Naruto tried again, the newcomers moved to intercept him again. Naruto gave a small whine, why did everything have to be so hard. The boy found a clearing and came to a stop, waiting for the newcomers to get close enough to identify.

The three pursuers came to a stop some distance away, just out of Naruto's line of sight, they seemed to be talking, their emotions changing slightly as new ideas were conveyed and understood. After twenty seconds or so, one of the two who had been concerned grew frustrated, a rapid surge of impatience drowning out the other feelings. Naruto heard a loud crack, and Sasuke appeared in the clearing before him. Naruto swallowed, gazing across at his brother apprehensively.

 **Sasuke:**

Naruto was scared, that was clear enough from his body language, Sasuke raised his hands in a placating gesture, taking a tentative step forward only for his brother to shy away, almost cowering. Sasuke felt it like a punch to the gut. "H-hey," he whispered. "It's me, Sasuke, I'm here." Naruto stopped, not approaching, but no longer backing away, the boy crouched on all fours, coiled like a spring. Sasuke took another tentative step forwards, Naruto flinched, but did not move away. It was then that Sasuke noticed the eyes, he felt his heart break a little as he gazed at the deep red orbs. Looking into them, Sasuke caught a glimpse, if only for a second, of the thing inside Naruto. As Sasuke stood there, stunned, Naruto began to cry, seemingly not for the first time, tears welling up and running down his cheeks.

"Is… is it really that bad?" Naruto asked, his voice quiet and rough.

Without thinking, Sasuke moved forwards, again, Naruto flinched, but did not retreat. Sasuke picked his brother up in a tight hug, his arms wrapping around Naruto's waist as the tears began to fall down his own cheeks. "Nah," he lied quietly. "Can't even tell the difference."

 **Naruto:**

Naruto cried into his brother's shoulder, arms lifting to return the hug, ensuring that the comforting presence before him was solid and real. One of the two remaining newcomers moved to stand behind Sasuke, the shift was so fast Naruto struggled to comprehend it, a familiar, dark haired man pressed his hand to Naruto's forehead, gazing into his eyes with his own glowing red sharingan. Everything went black.

* * *

Naruto found himself once more in the darkened, water filled room. Where before, the space had been divided by a massive red gate, the room was now open, more a cavern now than a hallway. Kurama sat nearby, eyes intent on a point somewhere behind Naruto, the boy turned to look. The dark haired man stood a short distance behind the boy.

"I-Itachi?" Naruto asked, only half believing it. "Is… is it you?"

The dark haired man glanced at Naruto with a smile. "Hey little one, I'm here to give you a hand, okay?"

The words calmed Naruto, almost in spite of himself, it felt like a weight being taken from his shoulders, Itachi was here now, everything would be okay. Numbly, the boy nodded.

 **"Hmph,"** Kurama spoke, glaring at the tall ninja. " **So you're here to help Naruto, tell me then, why are you gazing into his mind with those eyes?"**

Itachi turned to the fox, raising a hand towards it, almost casual. "I need to make sure you aren't in control of my little brother's mind, Kyuubi. For now I think it's best if you leave."

Kurama growled, Naruto moving to stand between him and Itachi. "Please don't hurt him," he said quietly. "He's my friend, Itachi."

The older man glanced at Naruto, a hint of confusion crossing his face before being replaced by a look of gentle concern. "Don't worry, Naruto, I'm just gonna put him to sleep for a little while, okay?"

Kurama bared his teeth in a snarl. " **If you use that damned sharingan on me, I swear I will-"**

Kurama exploded, his form dissipating into a roiling mass of orange chakra, soaking gradually into the water. Before Naruto had a chance to react, to try and stop his brother, he found himself standing in the forest once more, Sasuke still holding him in his arms.

Itachi stooped down and gave Naruto a searching look. "there, now we can be absolutely sure that it's you in there, Naruto, are you okay?"

After a few long moments, Naruto nodded. "Is… Is Kurama okay?"

Itachi nodded. "I didn't hurt him, I promise, I just suppressed his chakra for a little while to make sure you were in control."

Naruto sniffled slightly. "Yeah, okay."

Still pressed close to him, Sasuke sniffed slightly before letting out a disgusted groaning sound. "Jeez, Naruto, You smell awful!"

Naruto laughed a little. "Yeah, I need a shower, and a toothbrush, I've kinda been living off raw fish."

Sasuke broke away, holding his breath before heaving a few deep gasps of air once he'd made some distance. "That's gross," he muttered to himself, Naruto hoped he was joking around.

Realization hit Naruto hard, he swore, turning to Itachi. "Orochimaru's here! He's fighting Jiraiya over there and he's got some kind of back up!"

Itachi nodded, becoming serious once more. "Kisame, take these two back to the safe house, I'll meet up with you once I've made sure there's no one following us."

Emerging from the treeline, a man Naruto had to assume had been the third member of Sasuke's group nodded, waving the two children over as Itachi disappeared in the direction of the fighting. "You two come with me," he said calmly. "Itachi owes me big time for this."

Naruto hesitated, unsure what to make of this man, the emotion sense had disappeared when Itachi suppressed Kurama, leaving him somewhat blind to the man's intentions.

Naruto felt Sasuke's hand slip into his own, the other boy guiding him towards the blue skinned man, glancing at his brother, Naruto swallowed his doubts, and followed.

 **Orochimaru:**

The lord of Snakes grinned as he watched Shisui fight the two leaf ninja, it was almost cute watching them try and fight the undead Jonin, everything they tried ripping through him, only for him to return moments later, completely unscathed. Orochimaru leaned against a tree, smiling to himself as he watched his knucklehead of a teammate attempt to solve the simple puzzle. Belatedly, the remaining members of the sound four arrived, emerging beside Orochimaru as he watched the exchange.

"Your orders, my lord?" The girl asked, glancing up at her master.

Orochimaru contemplated for a second. "Tayuya and Sakon, go retrieve your squad mates, return them to our base, Ukon, use your Kekkei Genkai and enter my body, I may need you to provide internal support in case I am damaged."

The two sound ninja nodded, the silver haired boy closing his eyes as he began to divide, splitting into two near identical individuals, one of whom moved to merge himself with Orochimaru, ready to use his powers to support him. The other two departed at speed.

Orochimaru suspected it would have taken at least two more minutes of combat for either Kakashi or Jiraiya to figure out an effective strategy against Shisui, after which point, the chance to use his mangekyou would be lost, the snake lord shrugged, time to stop playing around.

Before Orochimaru had a chance to speak, another figure emerged from the treeline, a burst of black flame darting from his eyes towards Shisui, the flames caught the undead shinobi about the head, burning away at his cowled hood.

Jiraiya and Kakashi turned to look at the newcomer, Itachi, for his part, gazed at the man he had attacked.

"Shisui?" he asked quietly. "It can't be… you died."

Shisui Uchiha gave a sad nod, ignoring the flames that continued to burn away at his form, regenerating as quickly as they ate at him.

Orochimaru let out a surprised chuckle, a chuckle that quickly became a hearty laugh. This was just too perfect, he had been hoping to use Shisui's mind control to gain command over Jiraiya, but now that Itachi was here, he had the chance for something even better. "Indeed, my dear Itachi, that truly is Shisui Uchiha, back from the dead to aid in my service, just as powerful as he was in life."

Jiraiya and Kakashi looked between the two of them, stunned. Kakashi gave the burning shinobi a closer look, recognizing his former comrade. "Damn, well no wonder we can't kill him, this is some kind of puppet jutsu."

"Better just to seal his chakra then," Jiraiya said, his voice echoing a forced calm touched by cold anger. "To think Orochimaru learned to raise the dead."

"On that note," Orochimaru replied. "Shisui, Use your sharingan, I want you to place Itachi in my service."

The three ninja tensed, Jiraiya moving to cover Itachi with his body, Kakashi only a few steps behind him.

The still burning figure of Shisui Uchiha let out a small chuckle. "No," he replied quietly.

Orochimaru looked at his servant, surprised. "What do you mean, no?"

Shisui's chuckle became a laugh. "I mean, I am sorry, _Master."_ The man managed to make the words sound mocking. "But I'm afraid I cannot comply, I don't have sharingan anymore."

"What," Orochimaru said flatly.

"Oh," Itachi murmured. "Ohhhh…"

"What?" Orochimaru demanded.

Shisui laughed. "My eyes were removed before I died, Danzo shimura stole one and I gave Itachi the other in case something like _this_ happened. You resurrected a blind man Orochimaru." For the first time since his revival, Shisui allowed his eyelids to slide upwards, revealing the hollow spaces where his eyes should have been. "I don't have my perfect mind control anymore."

Orochimaru glared at Shisui. "Why didn't you tell me!?" he screeched, incensed.

"Why didn't I tell the man who enslaved me to use as a weapon about the fatal flaw in his plan? Great question Orochimaru."

Itachi laughed. "That is why we were friends Shisui, you always were fun."

Orochimaru growled. "Fine, new plan. Shisui, hold them off while I leave."

The long dead corpse of Shisui Uchiha gave Orochimaru a mocking salute. "Of course, my master," before turning to face the three leaf shinobi. "You heard the man."

 **Itachi:**

Orochimaru turned and ran, Jiraiya grinning after him as he and Kakashi turned towards Shisui.

Itachi decided now would be the time to take his leave, the others had the situation in hand, better to vanish before any questions were asked. Itachi turned his back on the three leaf ninja, heading back into the forest towards his brothers.

 **AN: Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it. Feel free to review if you like, I appreciate constructive feedback.**


	45. Chapter 45

**AN: I know, it's been a while, over a week in fact. I have university work going on and I'm also writing an original story of my own, so there are reasons. Here's a chapter to reassure you I'm still here. This is a small exploratory chapter looking at a few things that have bugged me since I started writing this story. Enjoy!**

 **Naruto:**

Naruto sat on the shower tiles, leaning against the cubicle wall as he let the spray of warm water wash over him. It felt good to be able to clean himself, helped remind him he wasn't an animal. The boy reached for the shampoo bottle and upended it over his head, letting the soap soak through his tangled hair. He groaned, it was gonna be hell to get neat again. There was a knock on the bathroom door and Sasuke's voice spoke through it. "Hey, you okay in there Naruto? You've been showering for almost an hour."

"I was dirty." Naruto replied, ducking his head under the spray and letting the water rinse the soap through his hair. The boy stood with a grunt, slightly sore from sitting so long on the hard floor, turning the tap off and stepping out to find a towel. Finding one, he wrapped it around himself, enjoying the softness of it. Whatever else Akatsuki was, their safe-houses were apparently fantastic. Naruto unlocked the door to allow Sasuke in.

The dark haired youth gazed at his brother appraisingly for a few seconds. "Well at least you don't stink anymore." Sasuke said with a grin.

Naruto chuckled ruefully. "I had to brush my teeth five times."

The two boys fell silent, both working up the courage to broach the subject, finally, Naruto spoke first. "D-do you think…" he trailed off, taking a deep breath before he tried again. "How bad is it?" To add clarity to his question, the blonde boy gestured with a clawed hand towards the bathroom mirror, in which a perfect reflection of his altered features was visible.

Sasuke considered it, looking over the changes critically for a moment. "It's… not great," he said finally. "You aren't gonna drive people away in terror, but keeping a low profile's gonna be hard."

Naruto nodded, subdued, before finally voicing the question that was causing him the greatest concern. "Do… do you think Haku's gonna be okay with it? What if she… dumps me?"

Sasuke gazed at his brother for a long while, his expression blank. "Really?" he asked. "You got permanently transformed into a weird animal hybrid and the first thing on your mind is if your girlfriend's gonna be cool with it?"

Naruto looked away, embarrassed. "Shut up," he muttered.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and sighed. "For what it's worth, yeah, I think she'll be fine with it."

Naruto looked up at his sibling, surprised and more than a little hopeful. "What makes you say that?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Just a feeling."

 _ **Agreed**_ , a voice chimed in from within Naruto, _**I have sensed her emotions around you often enough to believe your new appearance would not faze the girl. Her devotion is far stronger than that.**_

"Wait, devotion?" Naruto asked aloud, primarily for Sasuke's benefit. "What devotion?"

Sasuke gave the other boy a curious look, Naruto felt Kurama speaking through him, allowing Sasuke to hear. **"I have noted, Naruto, that Haku has what could be called an almost unhealthy obsession with your happiness. This is perhaps due in part to a conversation she had with Kakashi just after you raided Gato's compound."**

Sasuke did not flinch on hearing the fox's voice, although he had done when he first heard it. Back during the month they spent training for the tournament. Naruto had introduced the two of them.

"Destroyed," Sasuke corrected him. "We destroyed Gato's compound, Kurama. Burned it to the ground."

Kurama gave a low chuckle. " **Indeed. Regardless, that night, Naruto, as you slept, Kakashi and Haku had a conversation in which your sensei did the only thing he could to prevent Haku from committing suicide."**

Naruto's eyes widened. "Haku was suicidal?" he asked, horrified.

 **"Very much so,"** Murmured Kurama, moving to a small stack of folded clothes and prompting Naruto to dress himself. **"Sh** **e was so dependent on her master that once she finished getting revenge, her reason for being was simply gone. Kakashi managed to implant a new reason for her to exist instead."**

Naruto swallowed as he slid into a new shirt, his old clothes having been pretty much destroyed by his time in the forest. He wanted to ask what the new reason was, but wasn't sure he wanted the answer. The point was rendered moot when Sasuke asked for him.

"What reason did Kakashi give her?"

Kurama gave a humorless chuckle. " **Kakashi gave her Naruto. Haku currently believes that her entire reason to exist is to make Naruto happy."**

Naruto recoiled from the idea, his face twisting in revulsion. "Kurama, are you saying… oh god that's so wrong."

 **"An appropriate reaction, young one,"** Kurama replied.

Naruto shuddered in discomfort, this had too many implications, none of them good.

Sasuke, leaning against the sink, spoke quietly. "Five."

Naruto turned to look at his brother, momentarily confused. "Five what?"

Sasuke chuckled dryly. "Unless I'm wrong, Naruto, I'm counting five different people who would kill someone for you." Naruto gazed at his brother, appalled, as he began counting off names on his fingers. "There's me, obviously, then there's Itachi, then Jiraiya and Kakashi, and now Haku. Is it just me, or are you rapidly becoming one of the world's most influential people?"

Inside Naruto, Kurama chuckled. **"** **True enough, young Sasuke, but not quite. I actually count eight."**

Naruto groaned. "Thanks guys. That makes it sound like I'm trying to start a murder cult or something."

"Who are the other three?" Sasuke asked mildly, almost as if asking about the weather.

 **"First is Gaara of the sand,"** the fox replied, matter-of-factly. " **Naruto used the boy's need for human contact to curb his enforced violence, it isn't much of a stretch to say he could be turned the other way."**

Naruto shook his head. "Okay, no. Gaara doesn't like violence, he hated hurting people." The other two ignored him

 **"Then there's Kimimaro,"** Kurama continued. " **He's just as dependent on Haku as Haku is on Naruto, so he could quite easily be controlled if Naruto pointed out that his obedience would make Haku happy. To top it off, there's Sakura, not as much as the rest of you, but she'd still kill for Naruto. That makes eight. Three of whom,"** Kurama chuckled. " **Would do it on request."**

"Okay, stop please," Naruto said, annoyed. "Would you stop making my life sound like an evil slave scheme please?"

Sasuke and Kurama laughed at him.

 **AN: So Kurama and Sasuke both share a slightly warped sense of humor. Also, I was kinda waiting for someone to point out how messed up Naruto's relationship with Haku was, surprisingly, no one seemed to notice. I got one or two comments from people about how yaoi wasn't really their thing (in the male Haku version, obviously), but no one seemed to notice or be upset by the fact that Haku was a functional love slave, which I find kinda funny. Who knows, maybe you guys were just assuming I'd get to that at some point. But yeah, the only reason that their relationship isn't dangerously damaging is because Naruto is a good person, Haku would willingly become whatever Naruto wanted her to, much as she became an assassin for Zabuza, but luckily for all involved, the only thing Naruto wanted Haku to be, was herself. Rant over, sorry about that.**

 **Thanks for reading, feel free to review. Later! :P**


	46. Chapter 46

**AN: Nuthin' to see, on with the fic.**

 **Naruto:**

The blonde boy sat on a small bed in the room he had been assigned, thinking about everything that had happened since the exam. The changes, living in the forest, reuniting with Itachi, it was a lot to take in.

Naruto sagged back, letting himself fall onto the soft pillows and staring up at the ceiling. His mind was a mess of jumbled thoughts.

There was a soft knock on the door, Naruto closed his eyes and said. "Come in."

There was a soft sound as the door opened, followed by the light tapping of feet on the floor, then came a muffled thump as a body came to rest on the bed. Naruto opened a single eye, glancing up at his visitor.

"Hey Itachi," he said, his voice quiet, still unused to his new teeth.

"Hey buddy," Itachi said, equally quiet. "You feeling better?"

Naruto hesitated, then nodded, things were strange, but he held hope that they would get better. "I feel… hopeful." He admitted. "Everything's a little more bearable with you and Sasuke around, I guess."

Itachi chuckled, ruffling a hand through his little brother's hair. "Thanks, kiddo." After a moment, Itachi's expression grew serious. "Hey, Naruto?" he asked.

"Yeah?"

"I… was hoping to get your help with something… something important." Itachi sounded sad as he spoke, almost regretful.

Naruto propped himself up on his shoulders to get a better look at his brother. "Sure," he said, slightly concerned. "Anything."

Itachi chuckled, almost sounding bitter. "You aren't gonna like it."

Naruto swallowed, something in Itachi's tone suggested that was an understatement, steeling himself, he asked. "What is it?"

Itachi sighed. "Well, you know how I lied to you and Sasuke to make you hate me?"

Naruto nodded, confused. "Kinda hard to forget, Itachi."

Itachi gazed at his hands for a long moment, his face tinted with regret. "Well, we have to do it again."

Naruto felt a pang of trepidation. That was not what he had hoped to hear. "Why?" he asked, working to keep his voice calm.

The dark haired man shook his head. "I promise Naruto, I'll explain afterwards, but right now I need you to do what I ask, I'm sorry."

Naruto hesitated for a very, very long time. "Can… can you promise everything will turn out okay?"

Itachi considered, before giving a quiet nod. "Yeah, yeah I can."

"Then okay, but just this one time, and only because you're my brother."

Itachi nodded sadly. "Thank you Naruto. This is what I need you to do-"

 **Sasuke:**

The dark haired boy stomped from his small room towards the kitchen with a yawn, searching for a snack before bed. He opened the pantry door and looked over the canned food rations with distaste, it made sense that they couldn't keep a stock of fresh food ready at the safe-house, but still, it was annoying.

A muffled yelp was all it took to set Sasuke on edge, dropping the can he had been perusing and shifting into a fighting stance. That had sounded like Naruto. Sasuke armed himself with a kitchen knife and went to investigate.

Sasuke kept low to the ground, keeping to the shadows as much as he could. Slowly, he made his way to Naruto's room, as he rounded the corner, he could immediately tell something was wrong. The wooden door hung from its frame, one hinge torn from the housing. Sasuke worked to suppress his rising panic, had Orochimaru found them somehow? Was it Kakashi? Quiet as a mouse, the boy crept closer.

The first thing Sasuke saw was the blood. It covered the floor in a dark stain, soaking into the wooden boards. Sasuke felt tears swell in the corners of his eyes as the signature mop of yellow hair came into view, matted with the same red that covered the floor. Naruto was not moving, he lay still on the floor, his clothing torn and covered with stains of red. Sasuke managed to avoid crying out for only one reason, Naruto's killer was still there, garbed in robes of solid black that concealed them from head to toe, they crouched over the still body, a pale hand pressed to his throat, checking his pulse. Sasuke crept closer, his impromptu weapon poised at the ready, he couldn't think, couldn't allow himself to feel right now, if he did, he would miss this chance for revenge.

As Sasuke watched, the robed figure reached out that pale hand and pressed three unnaturally long fingers into one of Naruto's eye sockets, plucking the red orb from his head and holding it up, examining it. Sasuke felt a surge of rage, inarticulate and unproductive, the boy lunged forward, knife raised to strike.

The figure didn't even turn to face him as it lazily slapped the blade away with another thin hand, grasping Sasuke by the wrists and pulling him forwards, off balance.

Sasuke let out a strangled roar of anger and frustration, his chance at revenge, taken away so easily. The pale hand lifted Sasuke off his feet, struggling and kicking, holding him at arms length as it turned slowly. For the first time, Sasuke got a glimpse under its hood.

"I-Itachi?" Sasuke whispered, anguished. "Why?" even through the growing film of tears, that face was recognizable. It was twisted, strange, not the Itachi that Sasuke knew, but close enough to be recognized.

The pale creature chuckled, thin lips splitting into a wide grin. "Oh Sasuke," it spoke in a voice that, to Sasuke's horror, he recognized. "I'm afraid dear Itachi's been dead for a long while."

"Orochimaru," Sasuke hissed, his entire being radiating his fury.

The figure chuckled again in response. "Poor, poor Sasuke, all alone in the world, whatever will I do with you." Orochimaru laughed quietly, lifting Naruto's severed eyeball to his mouth and popping it inside. There was a disgusting, wet sound as the creature swallowed it whole, letting out a moan of disgusting pleasure.

"I'll kill you." Sasuke promised quietly, tears streaking down his face.

"Oh will you now?" The snake asked, its voice dripping with suppressed mirth. "How on earth do you plan to do that, little Uchiha? You aren't nearly strong enough to hurt me, it's adorable you think you could."

"I don't care," Sasuke said, almost gagging on his own suppressed emotion. "I will kill you, somehow, I will find a way."

Orochimaru giggled. "Is that so? No, I think that's just adrenaline talking. You'll understand your predicament much better in a few minutes, for now though, I think I'll make you my newest pet. The first thing I want you to do, little pet, is take a good long look at little Naruto here, let it sink in what I've done to him." The serpent carried Sasuke to Naruto's bed, wrapping its arms and legs around the boy, holding him in place, one of its hands held Sasuke's head in place, two of those grotesque fingers pressed to his eyelids, forcing him to stare at the corpse on the floor.

Minutes passed, blood seeping slowly across the floor. Just as the snake had said, Sasuke felt the anger begin to fade, replaced by fear and utter, complete horror, he stared at Naruto's lifeless face and began to weep, moaning wordlessly into the silence.

Sasuke felt a wrenching sensation as his neck was forced to twist, the serpent moving him so their faces were inches apart, the snake gazed long and hard into Sasuke's eyes until finally, it spoke.

"Sasuke, I am so, so sorry."

Sasuke blinked, Orochimaru's voice was gone, replaced once more by Itachi's soft tone. "W-what?" Sasuke asked, his despair touched by momentary confusion.

"Sasuke, it's okay now, I promise," the snake spoke again, still in Itachi's voice. "I was lying, Naruto's fine."

Sasuke reeled, his world thrown out of order for the second time in ten minutes. "W-what? I don't-"

"Naruto, you can get up now." The thing spoke. "We've done what we needed to."

Behind him, Sasuke heard a voice that threw him completely, filling him with hope and confusion and shock. "You had better have a good reason for this, Itachi, or I promise, I will never forgive you." Naruto's voice was filled with repressed anger.

Sasuke turned his head to look at his brother in shock, the hands that had restrained him now unresistant. Naruto was sitting upright, still covered in blood, but his empty eye socket was full once again, and he seemed very much alive.

"I…" Sasuke mumbled. "I don't understand."

"Yeah," Naruto agreed angrily. "Me neither. Explain, Itachi."

Sasuke turned once more to look at the serpent, its features were slowly reforming into those of Itachi Uchiha, as he was supposed to look. "I needed to awaken Sasuke's mangekyou sharingan," he said quietly, his voice deeply sad. "The only way to do it was to make him think someone he loved was dead."

Naruto growled. "So we just tortured our own brother for a fucking power boost?" he asked, outraged.

A flicker of realization struck Sasuke as everything began to click into place, his mind flooded with relief, mixed in no small measure with anger. "What the fuck Itachi!?" the boy screamed, reaching out and pulling his brother into a tight hug, at the same time trying his very best to headbutt the older man in the chest. Fresh tears ran from his eyes.

"No," Itachi said with a sigh, reciprocating the hug and gently starting to sway Sasuke from side to side. "It's more than that, I promise."

"What is it then?" Naruto asked, furious. "What could be worth hurting Sasuke like this?"

Itachi was silent for a long while before he responded. "I'm going blind, Naruto."

That shut both the younger boys up. "W-what?" Sasuke asked quietly, still clutching to his brother to remind himself that he was real.

"The mangekyou comes with a price," Itachi explained softly. "If you use it too much, like I have, it strips away your vision until there's nothing left."

"How bad is it?" Naruto asked, his anger replaced by concern.

Itachi let out a humorless chuckle. "Pretty bad, I had to use the eyes again when we rescued you, Naruto, when I woke up this morning, I found out I couldn't even make out faces anymore."

"Is there something we can do?" Sasuke asked, tentatively.

"Yeah," Itachi replied. "I need an eye transplant from someone I love, but that person needs to have the mangekyou as well."

Sasuke nodded in acceptance. Naruto on the other hand, was furious. "You tortured Sasuke and now you want to steal his sight!? Fuck no!"

"Naruto, shush," Sasuke said quietly. "I'll do it, It's okay."

Itachi was already shaking his head. "No, you two, I don't want to take Sasuke's sight, if it was a choice between me or him, I'd choose me being the blind one every single time, luckily, we don't have to choose, I can give him my eyes, they'll be good as new once he has them."

The two boys absorbed this information in silence for a moment. "So, will using them too much make me go blind too?" Sasuke asked.

"No," Itachi answered. "After the transplant, the eyes become eternal, you can use them without endangering your sight."

"So all of this," Naruto said slowly. "Was to cure your blindness AND make Sasuke stronger?"

Itachi nodded.

Naruto considered this, eventually, he relaxed a little. "Yeah, I guess that's a good enough reason."

Sasuke sniffled, still reeling from the shock of everything that had just happened, Itachi reached up a hand to stroke his hair. "I was actually hoping to make you stronger too, Naruto." Itachi murmured softly.

"Huh?" the blonde responded, confused.

"As it happens," Itachi explained. "I happen to have a spare Sharinan eye in my possession from someone I cared about a great deal. He was my friend Shisui. that gives us five in total. I intend to take one from Sasuke and one from Shisui, as I love them both, the eyes will become eternal for me, I will then give my eyes to Sasuke, and Sasuke can give his other eye to you. Because you love Sasuke, your transplant should become eternal just like Kakashi's did."

Naruto hesitated. "I… I'm not sure how I feel about that, Itachi."

Itachi nodded. "I'm sorry Naruto, but I need to make you stronger to survive everything that's going to happen soon, will you please do this for me?"

Naruto hesitated a long moment, before eventually nodding. "O-okay."

Itachi smiled sadly. "Thank you Naruto. Now I think you should come here and give Sasuke a hug, he's still a bit upset."

Naruto nodded, climbing up onto the bed and wrapping his arms around his quietly sobbing sibling.

* * *

 **Itachi:**

The two children lay unconscious on the surgical tables, machines along the walls providing readouts of their condition. Itachi was for once glad of his former association with Orochimaru, thanks to him, Itachi had known where to find a decent surgical facility where they were not likely to be interrupted.

Kisame finished carefully removing the first of Sasuke's eyes from the socket, placing it quickly in a suspension solution. Itachi had been very clear in his instructions, the eye was to spend as little time outside of a body as possible, just in case. Itachi himself stood nearby, unable to do the work himself because of his declining eyesight, but still present and able to advise Kisame if needed.

The blue skinned ninja worked quickly and quietly, removing Naruto's eye from its socket and replacing it with Sasuke's. The bright red of the freshly developed mangekyou almost seemed to glow in the bright surgical room.

Naruto's eye was placed in another container, just in case it was needed. The two ninja waited in silence for the transplant to take hold. After nearly half an hour, Itachi broke the silence. "It's time, take a look, see if they've adapted to the host.

Kisame stepped forward, reaching out and carefully pushing Naruto's eyelid up to examine the organ beneath, he was silent for almost a minute.

"Well?" Itachi asked, in a voice of forced patience. "Has it adapted or not?"

Kisame took his time responding. "I… I really think you need to take a look at this."

Itachi raised an eyebrow in confusion. "How will that help? I can barely see enough to identify them, how am I supposed to tell if they've changed?"

"Oh, trust me," Kisame replied. "They've definitely changed."

This only served to further confuse Itachi. He pushed off from the wall he was leaned up against and moved in to examine the implanted sharingan, moving his head far closer to it than one normally might in order to make it out as best he could. The two were silent for some time.

"Holy shit," Itachi murmured quietly into the silence. "Am I seeing what I think I am?"

Kisame nodded. "Probably, yeah. What should we do?"

Itachi shrugged, behwildered. "I don't know, give Naruto both of them I guess."

"What about you?" Kisame asked. "One of those eyes was meant for you."

"I can make do with Shisui's," Itachi replied. "This is more important."

Kisame hesitated for a long moment, then nodded. "Yeah, sure."

The shark toothed ninja worked in silence, carefully removing Sasuke's other eye and placing it in Naruto's body.

"Why don't we give you one of Naruto's eyes?" Kisame asked, pointing to where the red orbs sat, suspended in the fluid.

"I don't know if that's a good idea," Itachi replied, shaking his head. "We have no idea what those things would do in my head."

"Fair enough," Kisame agreed. "Well, your turn. Ready for me to put you under?"

Itachi nodded, moving to a third surgical table. "Yeah, take care of my brothers while I'm out, okay, Kisame?"

The shark man nodded. "Of course." Itachi felt a needle press into his skin, not long after that, darkness crept across his vision.

* * *

 **Naruto:**

The boy awoke slowly, feeling a lingering grogginess as the last of the anesthetics filtered through his system. Naruto groaned, lifting one hand to his face in an attempt to check his eyes, his hand met cloth. Bandages, he realized. "Hello?" he croaked quietly. "anyone around?"

"Hey Naruto," came a voice from nearby, Itachi's, the boy felt a hint of relief, blindness was surprisingly disturbing, even if it was only temporary.

"Itachi?" He spoke quietly. "How did it go? Are we all okay?"

"Yeah, we're fine," came the response. "healing well too, we should be able to take the bandages off by tomorrow."

"And there were no complications?" Naruto asked, probing.

"… Nothing serious," came the reply after a pause.

"Itachi," Naruto said, trying to remain calm. "Why are both my eyes bandaged? I thought we were only doing one."

"…Change of plans." Itachi replied. "Something came up. Naruto, I really should warn you before you see, it's a bit to take in."

"What is?" Naruto said quietly, trying not to panic.

Itachi explained, Naruto freaked out.

 **AN: Do you love unexplained cliffhangers? I do. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed, feel free to follow, review or anything else, till next time. Bye! :P**


	47. Chapter 47

**AN: Hey guys, nothin' much to see here, let's get reading.**

 **Kisame:**

Kisame Hoshigaki sat on a rocky outcropping, eyes closed in the pre-dawn light. While his body sat unmoving in the morning chill, in truth, his mind was elsewhere.

"Hello Kisame, this is quite the surprise," said the masked figure quietly. "Your report wasn't expected for a few days yet."

Kisame bowed his head in apology, a sign of his respect towards one of the few people for whom he held any. "My apologies for the inconvenience of the call, master Tobi," he murmured. "Suffice to say that the situation is urgent."

The masked man inclined his head slightly. "I see, elaborate please."

Kisame nodded. "We have the nine tails jinchuuriki in our custody, but I suspect that Itachi will act to protect him should I make an attempt to procure the host."

The hidden leader of the Akatsuki cocked his head to the side in thought. "I see, I had suspected he might."

Kisame nodded. "He cares for his siblings more than I suspected," he admitted. "I could be wrong, but my instinct says that Itachi will protect the boy from us."

Tobi nodded. "This is a problem, Itachi is one of our strongest members, this may require everyone."

Kisame was shaking his head even before his master finished speaking. "I can do this alone master, but I must act quickly."

Tobi gave a small chuckle. "And how do you plan to defeat Itachi on your own?"

The shark ninja kept his expression neutral. "He is currently recovering from heavy sedatives, I can win, but I would have to move immediately."

This prompted an outright laugh from the masked man, albeit, a short lived one. When Tobi spoke, his voice was contemplative. "It will be difficult to prepare a ritual to remove the beast with so little preparation time."

Kisame nodded. "That is why I came to you master, we need to do this fast and, if possible, without killing the boy. We don't want to make an enemy of Itachi." Kisame hoped his voice didn't give him away. Not wanting to make an enemy of Itachi Uchiha was a perfectly valid reason, but in truth, he felt it was the least he owed his friend to try and keep his brother alive.

Tobi considered this for a moment. "Hmm… challenging, but I think I have a jutsu that should do it, for the time being at least."

"Will he survive?" Kisame asked hesitantly.

His master shrugged. "Probably, his mother survived when I used it on her. However, It will cause the beast to manifest into the world instead of sealing it. Can I trust you to capture the released Kyuubi on your own?"

Kisame grinned. "Master, I'm almost insulted."

* * *

 **Itachi:**

The dark haired man awoke when he heard Kisame enter, moving to Naruto's bed to give him a check-up. "How's he doing?" the young man mumbled, still slightly groggy, just how much medication had Kisame given him?

Kisame didn't respond for a few moments, presumably still working through the check-up. "He's fine," Kisame responded eventually. "The new eyes are still bleeding a little and there's some swelling, but nothing too serious. He may have to wear the bandages a while longer though."

"Good," Itachi murmured, relieved, as Kisame walked closer, the advantage of being nearly blind for so long was that Itachi was already pretty good at telling his surroundings by sound. "Kinda surprised he didn't wake up when you checked the bandages though."

Kisame moved to his side, standing still as he examined the medical readouts that lined the wall. "I gave him something to help him sleep, kinda looked like the kid needed it."

Itachi nodded. "Thanks Kisa-"

He felt the needle pierce his skin and jerked away, jumping to his feet from the medical bed. "Kisame, what was that?"

The blue skinned ninja sighed sadly. "The strongest paralytic I could find. Sorry Itachi, but this has to be done."

Itachi cursed inside himself, already feeling the weakness beginning to spread. "Kisame, please. Whatever you're planning, don't do it, I'm begging you here." The blind ninja sagged, one leg giving out. Before he hit the floor, Itachi felt Kisame's arms catch him, lifting him gently back onto the medical bed.

"I'm sorry, my friend, but Akatsuki needs the Kyuubi and I no longer trust you to help retrieve it. For what it's worth, I will do all in my power to protect the boy, you have my word on that."

Itachi couldn't move a muscle. This is not to say that he didn't try, inside his mind, Itachi fought furiously, trying to move, to stand, to fight somehow. It was utterly futile.

Itachi listened from his useless body as Kisame sat heavily on the edge of the bed. "Listen to me for a moment Itachi. I gave Naruto a very strong sedative, he won't be waking any time soon, but there's a reason I only gave you and Sasuke paralytics."

Itachi screamed inside his own mind, so Kisame had got Sasuke too? Damn him.

Kisame continued, heedless of the silent turmoil of his immobile friend. "We have a method of removing the Kyuubi that should leave Naruto alive, the only problem is that I will have to fight the nine tailed fox without backup, I think we both know I'm not strong enough for that." Kisame paused, allowing the words to sink in. "If I lose that fight, Itachi, your brother will be at the mercy of a tailed beast. Even if it doesn't kill him outright, the sedatives pumping through him will keep him asleep long enough to die of thirst before any help gets to him. I think that makes it pretty clear that you should be rooting for me to win here. I chose to paralyze you because if I put you to sleep like Naruto, you wouldn't be able to feed Samehada your chakra reserves, and I'm going to need them If I plan to fight that fox, do you understand me, Itachi?" there was a quiet rustling noise as Kisame began removing the bandages from his ragged sword.

Inside his mind, Itachi crumpled, he understood what Kisame was saying, he knew what he had to do, that did not mean he liked it. Regretfully, Itachi began mustering his chakra. The toxin flowing through him removed any semblance of control, but that was irrelevant, Itachi only needed to bring his energy to the surface. He felt the touch of the massive blade on his chest and shuddered internally as Samehada began to drink, draining him of everything he had. The process was surprisingly fast. When he was done, Kisame moved to Sasuke's bed and spoke. "I know you heard what I said to Itachi, so you get the idea, start summoning your chakra so I can make sure your brother survives this." Kisame left a few minutes later, the unconscious form of Naruto slung unceremoniously across his back. Itachi was unable to cry.

* * *

 **Days earlier, Kakashi:**

The two ninja followed Pakkun in silence. Naruto, predictably, had not gone back to the village like he was told, his trail had converged with Itachi's not far from where Kakashi had found him. Kakashi's thoughts were a muddle as he ran, according to Pakkun, Itachi and Naruto were not alone, they traveled with two others, a man Pakkun had not recognized, and Sasuke. The silver headed ninja sighed, he had wondered why Sasuke had not immediately taken action when he learned of Naruto's departure. He supposed he didn't have to wonder anymore, the boy had taken off on his own to find his brothers with, Kakashi had to admit, an alarming level of success.

The small group moved without rest, exhaustion put aside for the moment, they were catching up.

* * *

 **Kisame:**

The shark ninja moved quickly, making prodigious use of his vast supply of chakra to increase his speed. Kisame arrived at the rendezvous point by early afternoon, cracking his muscles before he pressed a hand to the enormous boulder at the entrance, working quickly to unlock the intricate sealing jutsu placed upon it, he was anxious to get this over with.

The massive stone rose with a thunderous grinding noise and the shark ninja stepped quickly inside. A single illusory figure stood waiting inside the massive cavern, arms folded behind his back with a dignity he rarely showed the other Akatsuki members. Kisame repressed a grin, to everyone else in the group, Tobi was something of a foolish fellow, energetic and youthful, with more than a touch too much humor. It was only to Kisame that Tobi let the guise fall away.

"Hello Kisame," the masked figure said calmly, even spoken quietly and from a good distance as it was, the voice carried. "It's good to see you were successful."

Kisame shrugged. "No real issues or complications, everything went as smooth as I could have hoped for. Pretty sure Itachi's gonna want me dead though."

Tobi chuckled. "Well, that is to be expected, we can partner you up with someone strong enough to keep you alive after this."

Kisame shifted the unconscious boy off his shoulder, laying him gently on the floor in front of his master. "Can we get this over with?" He asked, slightly impatient. "I'd sooner get this all behind me if I can."

The projection of Tobi ignored him, leaning down slightly to take a closer look at the unconscious boy. "Why the bandages?" He asked mildly.

Kisame shrugged as noncommittally as he could, readying the lie he had prepared. "Recent eye surgery. The boy removed his seal and underwent fusion with his beast, he needed his eyes replaced or he was gonna stand out."

The projection looked up at Kisame, considering him. "The seal was removed, you say?" Kisame nodded. "Excellent news," Tobi muttered. "That should make this all much easier."

Without any further explanation, the masked figure knelt down over the blonde's motionless form, peeling his shirt up to expose his stomach. Tobi pressed his fingers to the boy's belly, murmuring quiet incantations. Black lines of illegible, curving script began to flow from the figures fingers, crisscrossing over the boy's skin. Kisame moved back to the entrance of the cave and began working the seal to close the entrance once more, if the beast defeated him, at least it may be contained within the cavern. That was the hope at least, the slim hope.

As the huge boulder slowly lowered itself back down, Kisame turned to face the distant figures, watching his master work with interest.

The process took a little over an hour, the seals over Naruto's body slowly growing and expanding in a great web until his skin was almost entirely black with the markings. For his part, Kisame began to prepare the best sealing jutsu he knew, something strong enough to restrain even his extraordinary chakra, hopefully it would sufficiently weaken the beast.

When both men were done, Tobi stood, his back to Kisame. From his place behind the man, Kisame did not see as the single eye that was all Tobi allowed to be shown of his body changed its shape, growing the black markings of the mangekyou sharingan. If Kisame had been expecting a ceremony, then he was disappointed. Tobi raised a hand and murmured quietly. "Come forth, Kyuubi."

Naruto began to scream, his body arching and convulsing as if on fire. Kisame stared, unmoving, Just how painful was this if the boy could feel it even through the sedatives?

Tobi stepped back, turning to face Kisame. "It is done, I leave the rest to you." With that, his master vanished.

Kisame held Samehada at the ready as glowing red energy began to pool its way out of Naruto, pulsing brightly in the darkness of the cave.

With agonizing slowness, a new kind of energy began to rise from Naruto's belly, a roiling mass of deep purple, the soul of a tailed beast. Naruto's screaming redoubled.

Kisame began making the hand signs as the form of the beast slowly began to emerge, shaping itself from the roiling chakra that flowed from the boy. Kisame held his jutsu at the ready, waiting for the beast to emerge in full.

The transition finished abruptly, the fox shifting from chakra to solid matter so suddenly that Kisame was caught off guard. Kisame took a moment to react, the fox didn't.

Kisame felt the air leave his lungs with a 'whumpf' as a tail the size of a small building struck him, launching him across the cavern and into the far wall. Much to Kisame's surprise, the creature spoke.

 **"What have you done to my son!?"** The fox roared, fury etched into every word.

Kisame did not allow himself to be confused by the creature's words, puzzling though they were. The shark ninja wasted no time in channelling his chakra, activating the most powerful sealing jutsu in his repertoire.

All across the cave, points on the floor began to glow, lighting up with a fire of brilliant purple. From each of these points, a small line of chakra extended towards the fox, connecting with its flesh. The Kyuubi ignored the jutsu, even as it drained the thing, beginning to shrink it slowly to a more manageable size. The creature opened its jaws wide, raw, roiling chakra beginning to bubble between its teeth into a sphere of pure energy, Kisame braced himself for impact.

 **AN: So... Weakened Kurama versus Super Kisame. Taking all bets guys, taking all bets!**

 **Side note, I'm thinking we're overdue for a bit of fluff pretty soon. Too much heavy stuff in a row can be a bit exhausting.**

 **As always, thanks for reading and feel free to review because it will make me feel happy... you know... if that matters to you... *Sniff***


	48. Chapter 48

**AN: So… I recently went online and watched a five minute tutorial on how commas were supposed to be used. An event that forced me to download this entire fic (186 pages for those who might be wondering, size nine font) in order to undergo one of the biggest retrospective edits I have ever attempted. Why did no one point out to me how shitty my grammar was earlier? I ask for reviews in the hope that they'll help me improve myself as a writer, guys. Needless to say, the editing process will take a while. I have so far managed to repair the first four chapters. If any of the more skilled writers among you are willing, it would be immensely helpful if you could go take a look at them and point out any grammar rules I am still missing. Sincere thanks.**

 **Kurama:**

The mighty fox fired the energy from his maw with a bang, sending a line of white fire pulsing towards his foe in an attempt to leave some mark of his fury. The foolish ninja attempted to block the strike with his blade, and was sent hurtling against the rocky walls for his trouble. The impact shook rocks and loose grit free from the cavern celing. A small part of Kurama felt joy, it had been years since his last tailed beast ball. Another part of him was furious, that strike was less than a tenth of his true capacity. All around him, lines of energy pulsed, drawing black lines on his fur and skin.

Kurama wanted to attack, to strike, to kill this man who had weakened his powers and brought harm to Naruto. But at the same time, he had to play it safe. If Kurama pressed the attack, he left Naruto vulnerable. The great fox glanced down at the boy between his feet, unable to move as he was, even a falling piece of rock would be enough to kill him.

In the distance, the blue skinned man picked himself up with a pained groan that filled Kurama with deep satisfaction. The nine tails began to gather his energy again, preparing a second strike. Shaking himself off, the enemy prepared a set of hand signs, readying some kind of Jutsu. Kurama felt a pull as the jutsu took hold once more, drawing yet more seals and restraints into his body. He shrank once again, and felt the energy in his jaws begin to wither and fade. Kurama roared his fury and frustration as the ground rose towards him, yet more of his power denied to him. The purple flames all around him flickered, and died.

The fox needed some sense of scale, some way of telling how much of his power remained. He glanced down once more at the boy between his legs and gave a yelp of surprise. Naruto was barely less than half his size. Kurama gazed at the blue faced man with dark fury, he had been reduced to the scale of a bare human. This would not be tolerated.

With a grin, Kisame Hosigaki charged.

 **Earlier that day, Kakashi:**

The two ninja entered the small building cautiously, unsure of what they would find within. From the outside, the place had looked like a shack, small and ramshackle. Once inside, however, it became apparent that the outside of the building was a falsehood. The walls gleamed with white tile as the two of them worked their way through abandoned corridor after abandoned corridor, looking for their quarry in the empty building.

"Is it just me," Kakashi asked quietly. "Or does this set up remind you of a hospital."

"Or a lab," Jiraiya murmured, nodding. "I've seen something like it before, Orochimaru uses them." Kakashi nodded, sliding his eyepatch off to keep his sharingan at the ready.

The search took longer than either man would have liked, eating away at precious time. Kakashi spotted Sasuke from a distance away, catching sight of his prone form through the open door. The silver haired ninja opened his second eye immediately, activating his sharingan just in case. The two made their way into the surgery room with great care, checking their surroundings thoroughly before moving to Sasuke's side. Itachi lay prone on a nearby bed. Neither ninja moved when Jiraiya shook them.

"Looks like they're out cold." The old man muttered, glancing at the medical readouts along the wall. "What the hell were they doing here? Why are their eyes all bandaged?"

Kakashi shook his head, "No, they're awake, must be some kind of paralysis."

"How can you tell?" Jiraiya asked, surprised.

"Look at the heart rate monitors," Kakashi answered. "They got excited the moment we arrived. As for the bandages? Your guess is as good as mine." The copy ninja moved to Itachi's side, lifting a hand to the fabric covering the man's head.

Had Kakashi not been paying such close attention to his surroundings, he never would have noticed it. With his sharingan, he saw as the chakra inside Itachi's body gave the tiniest of flickers. In itself, such a thing was not unusual, chakra levels rarely stayed the same at all times, there was always a tiny bit of variation. What caught Kakashi's eye, however, was the pattern. Was that… morse code?

On the other side of the room, Jiraiya was saying something, Kakashi raised a hand to silence him. "Itachi," he murmured, "I'm watching your chakra flow, tell me what happened."

It was a painstakingly long process, taking down Itachi's message, all the more so because of his near total state of chakra exhaustion. As it was, the two ninja pressed the younger man to summarize. Naruto was in danger, Itachi's partner had kidnapped him. The location was given and the two ninja set off at once, there was more information to be had, but the task of retrieving it was far too time consuming. Kakashi contemplated remaining behind to guard the two Uchiha while Jiraiya went ahead, but decided against it. The Uchiha were safe for the moment, Naruto was not. Kakashi only hoped the paralysis lasted long enough for them to retrieve Sasuke afterwards.

On Itachi's direction, the two leaf ninja made their way towards Naruto with all the speed they could muster.

 **Kurama:**

The fox surged forwards to meet the shark ninja, determined to keep the fighting away from Naruto. Kisame brought his sawtoothed blade down and was met with Kurama's tails, wrapping themselves around and holding fast. Standing on his back legs, Kurama used his front set as hands to shove the ninja away, breaking his grip on the sword.

Kurama groaned at the effort as the purple blade began siphoning yet more energy away from him. The fox tossed the thing to the side, far enough away as to be out of the fight for the moment. Panting, the nine tails returned his attention to his foe.

Kisame was grinning. "Gotta say, Kyuubi," He gloated. "I really prefer you down at this size, you're almost cute." The fox tried to use his emotion sense on the ninja, hoping to get some sense of his opponent's confidence, but found he could not. He had lost too much of himself.

Kurama growled. **"You will pay for what you have wrought this day, boy. Mark my words."**

Kisame laughed. "I fail to see how, down at the size you are, you have less chakra than I do. You aren't strong, you aren't fast and you definitely don't have enough left for another of those beast bombs. What could you possibly do to me?"

Kurama considered. It nagged at him that the boy was right, he really didn't have anything left to fight with. He had even less chakra than Shukaku did… A thought struck him, and he grinned, baring his wickedly pointed teeth.

Pushing off from the ground with his front legs, Kurama stood, stumbling slightly, on his back legs. **_Standing like a human,_** the creature muttered inside his mind. **_If my brothers could see me now._** Kisame cocked his head to the side in confusion, dropping into a defensive stance.

Shukaku had always been the weakest of his brothers, Kurama mused. So weak, in fact, that he sometimes failed to produce a tailed beast ball. Kurama had laughed at his brother for that once, but Shukaku had found different ways to be powerful. Perhaps it was time to follow his example. Kurama clasped his front paws together with difficulty, his anatomy was flexible, but he was not built for this. The first hand sign required a few attempts, but he learned from them and performed the next more fluidly. Kisame's eyes went wide as he watched and the blue skinned man made a dash for Samehada. Kurama finished the jutsu just a moment too quickly for him.

 **"Wind style: Great Breakthrough!"** ** _Thank you Naruto._**

The gust of air erupted from Kurama's throat, easily dwarfing the scale of Naruto's version by a vast magnitude. There was no dodging to be done. The blast struck Kisame with a thunderclap of pure force, blasting him aside like a ragdoll, before striking the cavern wall. There was an ominous sort of rumble as the dark stone began to crack and crumble, deep fissures carving into the rock. Kurama stared, eyes wide for just a moment before running to Naruto, falling once more to all fours as he moved.

There was a tremendous grinding sound as the solid stone of the cavern began to split, weakened first by the tailed beast ball, then a second time by his jutsu. Large chunks of rock began to fall all around the cave, one of them directly above the motionless Naruto. Kurama scooped the boy up in his tails and ran, dodging between debris as he searched frantically for an exit.

"Earth style: Greater unity!"

All at once, the rumbling stopped. Kurama looked over and saw that Kisame had his hand pressed against the cavern wall. The stone around the ninja's hand shifted and moved as it repaired itself, flowing into a whole once more. Kurama watched him carefully.

"Let me guess," Kisame spoke. "You assumed I wouldn't attack you if you had the boy hostage."

Kurama remained silent, painfully aware of Naruto's still form between his tails. He was fairly sure he could take this man, but there was too much risk of bringing Naruto to harm. The fox gritted his teeth. He didn't like having to retreat. Gathering his energy, Kurama readied a jutsu, focusing the energy in his mouth. On the other side of the cave, Kisame was grinning. Samehada in his hand once more. The shark ninja began making hand signs. "Sorry Itachi," he muttered. "This is too important to stop just for Naruto. Time to use some of the chakra I borrowed."

"Earth style: Bedrock coffin!"

Around Kurama, the stone began to shift and change once more, rising around him in pillars that then attempted to close around him, crushing anything in their grip. Kurama moved like lightning, jumping between the stones just moments before they collided. Kisame did not stop there, a second set of pillars emerged from the earth, then a third. Kurama launched himself into the air. Kisame glared at him and he chuckled. Fundamental strategy when dealing with earth style users, take to the sky. Kurama descended towards Kisame like an arrow loosed from a bow, crossing the length of the cavern in a single bound. The blue skinned ninja brought his hands together with a grunt, the stone beneath his feet shifting upwards into a wall to block the oncoming assault. Kurama gave another deep chuckle, it would take far more than a little wall to stop what was coming. He finished gathering his chakra, pushing it all out of his mouth in a single, gargantuan push.

 **"Tailed beast style: Rasengan!"**

The spiralling orb emerged from between Kurama's jaws, easily a metre wide on either side. The great fox shot into Kisame's barrier with a scream like claws on metal. The beast couldn't see, the rasengan effectively blocking his forward vision, he had no idea whether or not he had managed to hit his foe. It didn't matter, he doubted he had the control to maintain this technique for more than a few more seconds anyway. Crouching low to the ground, Kurama coiled like a spring before firing himself at the cavern roof with all the strength he had, holding the massive rasengan aloft like a shield. Stone split and shook with a tumultuous roar as the fox carried his unconscious passenger up through the ceiling. Shards and splinters of broken stone showered down around Kurama and he shifted his tails, moving them to shield Naruto from the debris. At one point, he felt himself begin to fall and seized hold of the wall to preopell himself upwards once again. Before long, the fox spirit emerged through the ground, allowing the massive rasengan to fade with a sigh of relief.

The relief was short lived as, with a crunch, the ground beneath Kurama's feet began to give way. He ran once more, making for the treeline and leaping more than half the distance. The fox landed atop a massive pine tree as the cavern behind him slowly collapsed.

For the first time, Kurama allowed himself to stop, to take stock. He was free. He was badly weakened and Naruto was severely hurt, but he was free. For the first time in twelve years, Kurama felt the wind on his face, rustling through his fur. The nine tailed fox closed his eyes, allowing the feeling of the wind to spread through him. Finally, he was free. The primal spirit threw his head back and let out a roar, echoing his triumph through the empty air.

The rasengan struck Kurama in the gut, driving the wind out of him with a pitiful whine. The force of it carried him into the air, letting him fall to the ground in a heap. On aching legs, Kurama stood, turning his face to look at the figure atop the tree.

"Give us the boy," Jiraiya spoke, the anger radiating through the whole of his body like a physical force. "Or I swear to god, I will make your death agonizing."

Glancing behind him, Kurama saw Kakashi, standing at the ready, eyes narrowed.

The fox wanted to fight, to break these men who would take Naruto from him, but he knew well enough that he was too weak. He wouldn't stand a chance. Slowly, his teeth bared in rage, Kurama lowered Naruto's unconscious form to the ground.

The three stood in stalemate for some time, each side glaring at the other. Eventually, Kurama spoke. **"… Take care of him for me."** Before setting off into the forest at a run.

"We will." He heard Kakashi's voice call as he departed. "I promise."

 **AN: Okay. Next chapter, soo much fluff. You have no idea. I gots so many ideas for people to do cute things… So many.**


	49. Chapter 49

**AN: Formatting sentence.**

* * *

 **The sand siblings:**

The small convoy worked its way slowly through the soft sand of the desert, trudging slowly in an attempt to conserve energy. The trip back to the sand village had taken four days already, allowances having to be made for the injured Kazekage. Walking at the very rear of the group, two teenagers walked flanking a third, shorter figure. Gaara was pale, even more so than he was normally, the boy wrapped his arms around himself as if to provide some small comfort. Not for the first time, Temari shot Kankuro a concerned look. The brown haired boy shrugged, looking equally worried. It had been nearly a whole week since the disappearance of Naruto Namikaze, and that meant it had been nearly a week since Gaara had been able to touch someone. During the month that the blonde boy had lent Gaara his aid, he had seemed to be getting better, slowly perhaps, but better. Gaara had smiled more often, had been less afraid. The boy had even struck up a somewhat tentative friendship with one of his tournament opponents, Hinata Hyuga. Ever since Naruto's disappearance, however, Gaara had been rapidly degrading. The boy stopped smiling, stopped eating, neither of his siblings had even heard him speak in days. The symptoms were clear, withdrawal. A single question dominated the minds of Temari and Kankuro, how long until the killing started again?

 **Gaara:**

Mother had not spoken to Gaara in weeks, not even to command him to kill. Gaara knew he had disappointed her, he knew that what he had done with Naruto was wrong. The boy was so ashamed and so full of regret that he could not even blame Mother for leaving him. The boy doubted she would ever talk to him again. He was alone. The boy turned his head to glance behind himself at his sister. Temari gave Gaara a small smile, one that utterly failed to hide her fear. The false smile hurt more than anything else did. Naruto had said that Temari and Kankuro would always be there for him, but they were just as scared of him as they always were, and he deserved it. The boy turned his head to look forwards once again, unable to face his siblings any more.

 ** _This is pathetic,_** the voice came inside his mind, Mother's voice.

Gaara stopped in his tracks, the other two halting behind him as they cast one another wary glances. "M-Mother?" Gaara asked, tears welling up in his eyes. "Mother, I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry. I disobeyed you, Mother, and I'm sorry. I promise I'll n-"

 ** _Shut up,_** the voice said, its tone irritated. **_I came to… to apologise._**

"W-what?" Gaara asked, his voice small and broken.

 ** _You… Ah god damn it Gyuki, this feels weird._** The voice was silent for a moment before it spoke again. **_You… didn't deserve what I did to you._**

Gaara was shocked, in all the years that Mother had spoken to him, never once had she been wrong, never once had she apologised. "Mother… I don't understand."

 ** _Shut up,_** the voice snapped, Gaara complied. **_Look… I guess… Fuck it, I'll let you touch people from now on, okay? This better be enough for those assholes._** The last part came out as more of a grumble than anything else.

"R-really?" Gaara gasped, his world filling with an insane hope. "You promise?"

 ** _…Fuck it, yes! I promise, kid. Happy now?_**

Blindly, Gaara reached behind him. Temari flinched away, but a pillar of sand rose behind her, forcing her forwards toward her brother.

"Gaara, no!" Temari screamed, her eyes squeezing shut in fear of the crushing death that had haunted her nightmares for years. Kankuro let out a wordless yell, rushing forwards to intervene.

Gaara pulled his sister into a hug, tears streaming down his face as he wrapped his arms around the taller girl's waist. He buried his face in her shoulder, more tears staining the fabric of her uniform. Kankuro's cry died in his throat, Temari went still, both of them, utterly shocked. The sand fell away and Gaara spoke. "Mother says she'll let me touch people now," He mumbled, barely comprehensible through half choked sobs.

 ** _I'm not your mother,_** the voice spoke once more. **_My name, boy, is Shukaku. Remember it._**

Tentatively, Kankuro stepped forwards, wrapping his arms around both his siblings as he began to cry. Temari, with some effort, restrained her emotions to a little moisture around her eyes, barely noticeable.

Ahead of the three, the convoy had stopped, the other sand ninja staring back at the small group in shock. Gaara's sand, it seemed, was under control for the first time in history.

That night, Gaara of the sand slept soundly for the first time in years. Shukaku took a break from plagueing his dreams with nightmares and allowed the boy a decent rest for once. When he awoke, eyes shining and a huge grin affixed to his face, he affirmed to himself a new purpose in life. "I, Gaara of the sand village," he announced proudly. "Am going to hug the entire world!"

* * *

Deep inside the void behind reality, the spirit of the eight tails spoke, **"Well done, little brother. I'm very proud of you."**

 **"Fuck off."** Shukaku replied, sulkily.

* * *

 **Neji Hyuga:**

One small bag. That was all Neji had brought with him when he moved from his room in the servant household to his new place in the main household. It hadn't taken long to unpack, a few books, two spare uniforms and a single set of civilian clothes. He had never had much in the way of posessions. The boy sat on his new bed, easily three times the size of his old one, and stared at the wall, contemplating his new life.

Surprisingly, it was the small things that were the hardest to get used to. The servant household, unlike the main family, awoke at five, every morning. This was in order to prepare the house for the day and ensure a hot meal awaited them. Neji was not expected to be up until seven anymore. Even so, he arose at five, the habit was a hard one to break and the one time he tried had made him feel deeply uncomfortable. The boy had taken to spending the two hours when nothing was expected of him training with Hinata, She too, seemed uncomfortable just laying in bed while others worked all around her. In these training sessions, Hinata had begun to surprise Neji, she was a more challenging foe than he had come to expect previously.

"So," he spoke quietly one morning, the two of them taking a short break between bouts. "You going to visit Lee in the hospital again today?"

Hinata nodded with a shy smile, "Yeah. He likes it when I visit, so I'm going to keep visiting him till he gets better."

Neji cocked his head to the side, eyeing his cousin shrewdly. "You don't have… feelings for him, do you?"

Hinata blushed, insofar as a Hyuga is capable of blushing, which is to say that her cheeks went from almost white, to a slightly different shade of almost white. "M-maybe," She mumbled. "… a little."

Neji sighed. "Really, Hinata? Lee? I like the guy, but he's the biggest dork in the world."

"And?" Hinata asked, going from shy to defensive in less than a second. "So what? Yeah, he's a bit of a dork, but he's confient and kind and more determined to improve himself than anyone else in the leaf."

Neji groaned, "Yeah, I know, and those are great qualities. They even make up for what a massive idiot he can be sometimes. But he has no manners, no sense of decorum, and he never wears anything except that stupid green tracksuit or those idiotic 'ninja stealth pyjamas!' Do you honestly think Uncle Hiashi would approve of you dating him?"

"Hmm," Said a voice from above, where Hiashi Hyuga sat on a balcony. Neji's heart plummeted. "Would I approve of my daughter dating the only boy ever to have beaten you in a fight, Neji?"

Neji stumbled over his words, attempting some form of apology, "M-master, I'm sorry, I meant no offen-"

"Stop it," Hiashi said, waving a hand in irritation. "You're my nephew, entitled to speak your mind, remember?" Neji fell silent and Hiashi continued. "Manners can be taught, decorum instilled. The fact of the matter, Neji, is that Rock Lee is one of the very few people I might deem acceptable for my daughter. I would expect them to be at least as strong as you are if I am to hand over the duty of protecting her to them some day."

Neji's shoulders seemed to sag slightly as he shook his head. "At least let me force him into some decent clothes first?"

Hinata, for her part, had gone a very faint pink, the Hyuga equivalent to bright scarlet. "W-who s-said I was going t-to say anything to him?"

The three argued, somewhat good-naturedly, for the remaining hour until breakfast.

* * *

 **Rock Lee:**

"Lee, I want you to promise me you'll wear it."

"But why, Neji? There is so much excess material, the cuffs are extremely wide."

"Listen to me you cast iron idiot. I spent five hours picking out the softest, most comfortable outfit I could that still conforms to the standards of basic fashion. It breathes well, it's treated to resist sweat, and the fabric is strong enough to withstand extended training bouts. Wear it, or I will slap you. You know how hard I can slap, Lee."

"But Neji," Lee whined. "It's so inconvenient, flowing garments hinder my movements."

"Would it help if I told you that wearing it would make Hinata happy?" Neji asked, glancing at the door, he knew his time was short, Hinata was due here at any moment. He activated his Byakugan and saw her approaching. Five minutes, at most.

"It would?" Lee asked, tilting his head in confusion. "But why?"

"Because she likes you, you idiot!" Neji hissed quietly. "And if you don't make her happy, I will cut off the chakra points in your kidneys so that you slowly die of toxic shock. Are we clear?"

Lee did not respond immediately, his eyes going wide in surprise. "She what?"

"She likes you. Do not make me say it again."

Lee gulped. "B-but I… W-what do I do? What am I supposed to do if a cute girl likes me?"

"You're supposed to try and make her happy," Neji replied. "It's not that hard, Lee."

Lee shook his head, starting to panic. "I-No, I don't know what to do here. I do-"

"Lee!" Neji half whispered, half shouted. "Listen to me. You have to seize every moment you get in this world before it disappears forever, this is-" he hesitated, hating himself for what he was about to say. "This is… the… springtime… of… youth." He choked out the words as if they burned him.

It seemed to do the trick though. Lee's eyes lit up with a fiery excitement at the words and he nodded enthusiastically. "You are right. Thank you Neji." The boy held out his hand for the clothes Neji had brought with him. Neji helped his teammate change and tucked him back into the hospital bed before checking once more with his byakugan. Hinata was right outside the door.

* * *

 **Hinata Hyuga:**

The girl was about to knock, raising her hand to the solid wood of the door when a sound like shattering glass rang out from inside the recovery room. Throwing courtesy aside, Hinata flung the door open wide and rushed inside. The first thing Hinata noticed was the broken window, shards of glass still hanging from the wooden frame. Rushing to the fixture, she poked her head out, but could see nothing down there except the milling crowd of midmorning foot traffic through the village. She spotted Neji walking among them and gave a confused wave. He waved back, slightly awkwardly.

Turning around, Hinata asked, "Lee, did you see what happened?

The boy opened his mouth as if to speak, before a small pebble sailed in through the broken glass and struck him in the side of the head. "Ye- Ow! I mean, no. I did not see anything. How are you today, Hinata?"

Hinata gave a confused little shrug before, for the first time, noticing Lee's attire. "Ohmygosh, Lee! What are you wearing?"

Lee, going a fairly bright shade of red, made an embarrassed little shrugging gesture. "I… I thought you might like it if I wore something nice?" He asked, uncertainly.

Hinata couldn't help a small giggle escaping her lips, she covered her mouth with a hand. "S-sorry! It's just, it's so not Lee!"

"I know." Lee grumbled, lifting his arms and shaking at the overlong cuffs of his sleeves. "But if it makes you happy, Hinata, then I am willing to bear it!"

Hinata giggled again, she liked it when Lee said silly things.

Lee, not one for subtlety in any way, shape or form, continued on. "Because I like you, Hinata. I think you are very cute."

Hinata stopped mid giggle, going as still as a deer in headlights. A tiny person in the back of her mind began to panic.

Lee trundled on with all the romantic suave of a malfunctioning bulldozer. "So I wanted to ask, Hinata. If you would do me the honor of being my girlfriend!"

Hinata remained still for a very long time, long enough that Lee asked if she was alright.

Eventually, after a pause that stretched to both sides of eternity, her reply came in a whispered squeak. "Yes," Hinata said quietly before she positively bolted from the room.

"Well," Said Lee uncertainly in the suddenly empty room. "Good… I think."

 **AN: Fluff delivered as promised.**


	50. Chapter 50

**AN: I can haz format?**

* * *

 **Itachi:**

The dark haired man felt it as, with agonizing slowness, the toxin began to fade from his system. With what felt like a gargantuan amount of effort, he raised his head an inch or so from the medical bed. He felt woozy, probably a side effect of the drug, but there was no time to focus on such things. Groaning at the effort, Itachi slowly pushed himself into a sitting position before allowing himself to tip sideways, half climbing, half falling out of bed. He landed on his feet and laboriously staggered over to where Sasuke lay, hindered only slightly by the bandages covering his eye.

"Hey," he whispered, his voice barely audible over the quiet beeps of the medical monitors. "Sasuke, can you move?"

No response. Of course not, that would be too easy. Itachi groaned, leaning down laboriously to take hold of his younger brother's limp form. It took Itachi nearly half an hour to muster the energy necessary to lift the twelve year old over his shoulder, after which he made his way from the hidden facility in a staggering shamble.

Once outside, Itachi slumped to the earthen ground, Sasuke landing atop him with a small thump. Itachi knew he didn't stand a hope of escape on foot. At his current level of physical ability, he doubted he would make it eout of sight of the facility before either Kisame or Jiraiya and Kakashi returned for him and Sasuke. Itachi did the only thing he could think to do, he waited. Itachi gathered every scrap of chakra that his body generated, his slowed metabolism restoring his energy reserves at a snail's pace. After waiting for what felt like an eternity, he had what he felt was enough. Itachi bit his finger, allowing a small trickle of blood to flow from it, before pressing his hand to the earthen floor.

"Summoning Jutsu."

A raven, nearly the size of a horse, burst into being in a plume of white smoke. The bird cast a single unblinking eye over the two slumped ninja.

"So this is what the Uchiha are reduced to, is it?" Asked the bird in a high pitched voice.

"Shut… up." Itachi mumbled, trying to muster the energy to sound irritated.

The raven shook its head, either in genuine disappointment, or mockery. Itachi was never sure with this particular creature. "To see the clan I serve sunk so low," it tutted, a trace of humor in its skwawking voice. "Disgraceful."

"Just," Itachi spoke, having to muster energy for every syllable. "Get us… out of here. We've been drugged and… someone's coming."

The raven gave an exaggerated bow, "Of course, great master." Stepping forwards, it grasped the prone body of Sasuke in its talons and did the same for Itachi, before taking off with a great flapping of its wings. Itachi gave a sigh of exhausted relief, he had done what he needed to, now he could rest. The raven carried the two Uchiha far away, the only trace of their passing left high in the air. Tiredly, Itachi began to plan his next move, he needed to ensure Naruto was safe.

* * *

 **Naruto:**

Naruto sat on his bed, alone, as far as he could tell. It felt strange to be back in his bedroom, even though he had only been gone a week. It had been quite a shock when Naruto woke that morning, expecting to open his eyes and see Itachi. Instead, he had been greeted by the voices of Kakashi sensei and Jiraiya. They told him several shocking things, things he still wasn't sure if he believed. According to the two leaf ninja, Itachi's partner had kidnapped him and removed Kurama from his chest. Naruto didn't know what to think about that. For one thing, when he searched within himself, the boy felt no trace of the fox within him. However, from what he understood, if the beast truly had been removed, then by all accounts, he should be dead. Naruto wouldn't put it past Jiraiya to have simply sealed Kurama so tightly within Naruto that he couldn't be found. Naruto wished he had access to the emotion sense, sorting truth from lies was so much harder without it. Apparently, Jiraiya and Kakashi had rescued him from the beast after it attempted to abscond with him. Naruto had so many questions there that he didn't know where to start.

For now though, Naruto focused on the single positive of the situation. In the three days that he had been unconscious, no one had dared look under his bandages, just in case Kisame had placed a trap under them. Naruto had been given strict instructions not to remove the bandages himself either, just in case. There was some sense to that, Naruto had to admit, but he had no choice. This was the first time Naruto had been alone since he woke, as far as he could tell at least. Being blind sucked.

Still sitting on the bed. Naruto reached up to the cloth covering his head and slowly began to unwind it. He had to hurry. Kakashi, who had taken the task of watching Naruto day and night just in case something happened, had gone to fetch some food and would likely not be long. The boy finished removing his bandages and, tentatively, opened his eyes.

Naruto yelped quietly. Not only was it quite a sharp sensation to see for the first time in days, but everywhere he looked, everything he saw was… intense somehow. Like someone had turned up the contrast on the world. Light was so bright as to sting, jabbing small needles of pain into his eyesockets. He squeezed his eyes shut once more, wincing. Blindly, Naruto moved to his light switch, turning it off to leave the room in darkness. Once more, he tried opening his eyes. Naruto let out a sigh of relief. That was much better. Surprisingly, the boy found he could still see perfectly well in the near total darkness of the room. The boy made his way to his bathroom, determined to take a look at himself in a mirror. Naruto locked eyes with his reflection. Seeing his new eyes for the first time.

Even though Itachi had warned him in advance, Naruto still found the sight shocking. His eyes, blood red when he had last looked at them, were now a deep purple, lined with rings of solid black. "So it's true," he murmured. _I have rinnegan._

Naruto gave himself a few moments to absorb the information. To say it was a shock would have been an understatement, but he had other things to focus on. He needed to keep this a secret if even vaguely possible. Naruto focused, trying to charge his chakra through his eyes. If Sasuke's description of his sharingan held true, then this should be how one deactivated an ocular jutsu. On his command, the eyes changed, echoed almost immediately by those in the mirror. Naruto felt it as the world slowed, his breathing becoming a glacial thing. He tried raising a hand to his face and it took what felt like an age to reach him. Slightly worried, Naruto tried to force the hand upwards faster, straining his muscles to pull his hand through the air.

Naruto realised a few microseconds too late that he was effectively slapping himself in the face and, still in strange slow motion. Felt his open palm connect with his cheek, forcefully. It was surprisingly painful. Naruto steadied himself, gazing once more into the mirror. His eyes had gone red now, lined with a black, star-like pattern. So this was Sasuke's mangekyou sharingan? It was good to know he could switch between it and the rinnegan, but what Naruto really wanted was to just turn the enhanced states off so people wouldn't ask any questions. Naruto tried again, changing tack slightly. Naruto tried to pull the chakra out of his eyes, chanelling it to other parts of himself. Almost immediately, the world sped back up. Naruto sighed in palpable relief as he gazed into a perfectly normal pair of slate grey eyes in the bathroom mirror. He could barely make them out now, it seemed the night vision did not persist with the regular eyes. Naruto shrugged, he could deal with that. He pushed himself back away from the bathroom counter and relaxed somewhat. The moment he stopped directing the chakra away from his eyes, the room snapped back into focus, the darkness once more clear as day. Naruto groaned. So, he could turn them off, but he would have to focus the entire time? Great.

The boy gestured dismissively at the mirror, annoyed. With a sharp sound, the glass cracked. Naruto's eyes went wide and he stared at his hand for several moments. Experimentally, the boy trie the same gesture again, once more, the glass in the mirror split, except this time, it did so far more violently, the pane shattered, shards of glass clattering to the floor. Very slowly, very carefully, Naruto lowered his hand back down to his side. _So… I have superpowers… That I don't know about and can't control. Fantastic._

Gingerly, Naruto returned to his room and his bed, closing the door behind him. Once more, Naruto channelled the chakra away from his eyes and began carefully re-bandaging them. It wasn't long afterwards that Kakashi returned. The two ate in silence. Kakashi made no comment on the broken glass in the bathroom.

 **AN: Now, before any of you say anything first let me qualify something. Yes, I am fully aware that non uchiha can't turn their mangekyou on and off at will, as shown by Kakashi needing to keep his eye closed all the time. Here's the thing though, Madara uchiha was able to swap between his rinnegan and his sharingan pretty much at will. So I'm thinking that for the person who awakens the rinnegan, even if they're not an uchiha, they will be able to toggle them on and off. So that's my reasoning. Naruto can swap his eyes between forms because when he awoke the rinnegan they became "His eyes," allowing him to swap them like Madara does.**


	51. Chapter 51

**AN: Hey guys, let's do this.**

* * *

 **The gambler:**

Lady Tsunade trudged quietly along the gravel path, moving along to the next village before her losses in the last one caught up with her. Shizune followed behind, scowling as she always did when her master ignored her ethics. The young woman sighed, she was long passed the point where she might have attempted to change the sage's ways for the better. For now, Shizune was focused on her training. The blonde woman spared a glance behind her, the apprentice having caught her attention. "Something wrong, Shizune?"

The young woman rolled her eyes, suppressing a groan. "No," she lied, before amending "At least, no more than the normal objections."

Tsunade grunted, not quite a laugh, not quite a dismissal. "How are you progressing with your study assignment?"

Shizune let her shoulders slump. _Great,_ she thought. _The only subject worse than Lady Tsunade's gambling, Lady Tsunade's homework._ Outwardly, she grumbled "Not great, my analysis of lead based cellular toxins is being stonewalled. The cells always break down before I have time to complete the observations."

Tsunade nodded thoughtfully, considering the problem. "Have you considered using cells with a slower degradation rate? Stalkfish liver might be viable for slower observation."

Shizune shook her head. "Not when I'm trying to develop a cure, it needs to account for a lack of resistance present in human cells."

Tsunade nodded approvingly. "Glad you're paying attention."

Shizune groaned, she hated it when Lady Tsunade tested her, especially when the tests were so insultingly simple.

The conversation continued in this vain for several minutes before they were interrupted. Two figures walked the same path from the opposite direction. Shizune spotted them first and paid them no mind. An ordinary looking man and a young boy, probably family. Tsunade, looking backwards at Shizune, did not notice the two until one of them, the shorter one, called out to her.

"Hey, Tsuna, Tsuna!"

The slug princess froze in her tracks, her face going blank with shock. Very slowly, Lady Tsunade turned to face the newcomers. Shizune did not know what was happening, but remained on guard, unsure what to expect.

Catching sight of the smaller figure, Tsunade stared, a small trickle of moisture trailing down from her eyes. "N-Nawaki?" She mumbled, hardly daring to speak. "Wha… How?"

The taller figure was the one to reply, a yong looking man with bluish silver hair. "I was told we were a gift. Hello, Tsunade."

With an apparent effort, Lady Tsunade tore her attention from the boy to stare at the man. "Dan?" She asked, her voice barely more than a whisper. "Is… can it really be you?"

"It's us, Tsuna, I promise!" Said the boy with a grin. "Wow, you got old, huh?"

Tsunade, still with tears in her eyes, shot the boy a wet scowl. "How can you say that? I look just the same as I did back then."

The man identified as Dan shook his head. "No, you're older. You think we'd be fooled just because you don't have wrinkles? You used to have laugh lines around your eyes, dearest. Your shoulders never used to be so stiff."

For the first time since Shizune had known her, Lady Tsunade sagged, stumbling forwards towards the two newcomers.

Shizune opened her mouth to utter a warning that died in her throat. Dan and Nawaki stepped forwards, wrapping their arms around the slug sage as if they had known her all their lives. The little boy buried his face in her jacket.

"I was so tired…" Tsunade said, her voice croaky, even through her sobs as she clung to the two. "What is this? Did you come here because it's time for me to die?" the slug princess did not sound displeased by the idea.

Carefully, Shizune drew closer, scalpel at the ready. When she caught sight of Lady Tsunade's face, she gasped. The illusion of youth was gone, replaced by the worn, lined features that Shizune had seen but a few times in her travels with her teacher.

"Not even close." Dan said, leaning back and taking in Tsunade's face with a smile. "There, that's better, I can see those laugh lines again."

Nawaki spoke, muffled slightly by the cloth pressed against his face. "Orochimaru sent us. He said he learned how to raise the dead."

Tsunade stiffened at Nawaki's words, looking Dan in the eye. "Is that true," She asked. "Did Orochimaru really send you here?"

Dan, suddenly serious, nodded. "Yes, he said we were a gift."

Shizune held back, totally out of her depth. Tsunade seemed to be debating furiously within herself. Finally, in a broken whisper, she asked "What does he want from me?"

Dan shrugged, displaying his palms in bafflement. "He said there were no strings attached for this. He told us to locate you, tell you that we were a gift, and to say that Orochimaru said 'Sorry.'"

Shizune tensed, it had become quite clear to her who these two strangers were. "This must be some kind of psychological attack."

Tsunade nodded, looking more confused and doubtfull than she had ever been. "I… have to agree. You're telling me Orochimaru brought my family back to life, free of charge… as an apology?"

Nawaki leaned back, craning his neck to look at his sister in confusion. "What's wrong? I thought we liked Orochimaru? He's your teammate, isn't he?"

Hesitantly, Tsunade raised a hand to ruffle her brother's hair. "A lot happened after you died, Nawaki." She replied sadly.

"Are you… not friends anymore?" He asked.

Tsunade gave the smallest of chuckles. "No, I guess we're not."

Nawaki looked thoughtfull. "Well… he brought us back, sooo… it sounds like he wants to fix that. Maybe we should go talk to him."

"Teacher," Shizune said quietly, her tone a warning.

Tsunade raised her hand to placate her student. "It's alright, Shizune. Nawaki isn't trying to manipulate me, he's always been like this." She sniffled a little. "Pure to the core."

Shizune nodded, not dropping her guard an inch.

"I think we should go and talk to him though," Tsunade spoke eventually. "This is a tactic. I don't know what for, but I know him. I want to know what's going on here."

Dan nodded. "I can guide you to him, he gave me a location where he'll be for a week or so. Just in case you wanted to talk to him."

"Just in case," Tsunade grunted. "He knew I'd come see him from the moment he thought of it. What in the hell does he want?"

Dan shrugged, just as confused as Tsunade was. In silence, the four ninja moved, Dan leading the way. Tsunade, carrying Nawaki on her back, felt lighter than she had in years, mixed with a deep apprehension.

* * *

 **Sasuke:**

"So what do we do now?" The boy asked, standing across from his brother atop the crumbled heap that, according to Itachi, was where Kisame had taken their brother.

"I don't know," Itachi mused, stroking his chin. "It's pretty clear that something happened here. Hard to tell what happened or who wound up with Naruto in the end. Honestly? My bet's on Jiraiya and Kakashi, they're way too skilled for Kisame to handle."

 **"You're right about that."** Came a voice from the treeline, causing Itachi to jump and Sasuke to tilt his head, confused.

"Kurama?" He asked of the open air. "Where are you?"

 **"… Promise you won't attack me?"** The voice responded.

"I promise," Sasuke replied. Itachi did not. "Itachi, promise you won't attack."

Itachi scowled. "I promise." He grumbled, shaking his head.

Neither Uchiha saw it at first, expecting to see either Naruto's body or a gargantuan fox. The human sized form of Kurama made it a good few meters from the trees before either spotted him. "The hell?" Sasuke spoke, pointing. "Kurama, I thought you were supposed to be huge."

Itachi, following Sasuke's pointing finger, suppressed a snort. He could tell by the black markings, running across the fox's body like tattoos, that Kisame had hit it with a partial sealing jutsu.

The fox growled. **"If either of you laugh, no fortress in this world will save you from me."**

Itachi very pointedly snickered. Kurama glared at him. Sasuke ignored them. "Where's Naruto?" He asked, determined to get to the point. "Is my brother safe?"

 **"Safe? Yes,"** Kurama replied, his tone angry. **"I have no doubt of that. After I saved the boy from Kisame, I was ambushed by his teacher and godfather. I had no choice but to surrender the boy."**

Itachi let out a sigh of relief. "So he's fine. Not only alive, but back in the village. Fantastic."

"Awesome." Sasuke nodded cheerily. "Mission successful. Naruto is back in a safe place."

 **"I don't like it."** The fox replied, shaking his head. **"I don't like the thought of leaving him alone."**

Itachi gave Kurama a strange look. "No offense, great and powerful being of pure might. But I think you might be a bit too attached to my brother there. I'm not comfortable with that."

Kurama returned the look balefully. **"Naruto's body has been feeding off and adapting to my chakra since the very moment of his conception. He is, in a very real sense, my son. I can be as attached as I want, boy."**

Itachi went silent, gazing at the fox. Sasuke shook his head, grinning. "I swear, he has the weirdest family tree I've ever seen."

The nine tails grunted. **"The question remains. What do we do now?"**

"I have an idea," Sasuke said. "Itachi, who was it that forced you to kill our family?"

Itachi gazed at his younger brother, he had a hunch where this was going, and he did not like it. He did not answer.

 **"At a hunch, I'd say Danzo Shimura."** Kurama supplied into the slightly awkward silence. **"He's the only one in the village with the resources to feasibly threaten an entire clan."** Itachi glared at him. Sasuke, surprisingly, glared as well.

"You knew all along," he stated flatly. "And you never told me or Naruto because…"

Kurama shrugged. **"I didn't want Naruto to run off unprepared and get himself killed."**

Sasuke considered this, then nodded. The fox had a point. "Fair enough. Things are different now, though, I have you two to help me get strong enough."

Itachi groaned. "Sasuke, no. We aren't killing Danzo. He's very powerful and extremely useful to the stable function of the leaf."

Sasuke glared at his brother. "Itachi, he forced you to kill our entire family AND threatened to have both me and Naruto assassinated. We're killing him."

Itachi considered his brother in silence, gazing down at him.

 **"For what it's worth,"** Kurama said. **"I agree with Sasuke."** Itachi ignored him. Sasuke held out a fist and the fox silently bumped it with his front paw.

"You aren't going to change your mind here, are you?" Itachi asked. "Even if I beg you?"

Sasuke gazed stonily up at his sibling. "Remember how you conditioned me to hate you so much that I trained for five years just to kill you? I hate Danzo even more than that right now. On top of everything I thought you did, he also blackmailed and banished one of my brothers, while threatening to kill my other brother."

 **"I'm fairly sure he tried to recruit the two of you into his slave army at some point as well."** Kurama chimed in. **"It's the sort of thing he'd do."**

Sasuke gestured at Kurama with one hand. "Itachi, why are we not killing this guy?"

Itachi growled. "Kurama, you aren't helping."

 **"Tell me it's not something he'd try."**

"That's not the point."

"Itachi," Sasuke said flatly. "If you don't help me with this, I will try it on my own, and I'm all the more likely to die if I don't have your help. Are you going to help me or not?"

Itachi considered his brother carefully, he really should have seen this coming. Motivating people through anger rarely ended when the target of the anger was gone, it just moved on to a new target. Itachi considered using Shisui's jutsu, Kotoamatsukami, to stop the boy. He hated the idea, even more so than the idea of killing Danzo, he had no desire to use mind control on his family. The young man groaned quietly. "Do you promise that it will end with Danzo? No one else dies but him."

Sasuke nodded. "Sure, it all ends with Danzo."

Itachi squared his shoulders. "Then fine, our objective is to kill Danzo and protect Naruto. But first, we have a lot of training to do, Sasuke."

Sasuke glanced at the fox. "What are you doing, Kurama? What's your next move?"

Before the fox could reply, Itachi answered. "He's coming with us. It's a miracle he stayed out of Akatsuki's hands, we need to keep it that way. Besides, our mangekyou is the only way to restrain him if he tries something."

 **"Fine,"** Kurama grumbled, casting Itachi an irritated glance. **"I planned to accompany you anyway. Sasuke could benefit from my training as well, you know."**

Itachi nodded. "The real question though, is where to go from here. All my Akatsuki hideouts are compromised, and the majority of Uchiha safehouses are known to the leaf. We need a base of operations."

Surprisingly, Sasuke and Kurama both had an answer to that. "Wave village," the two said in unison.

Itachi cocked an eyebrow. "Wave village?" He asked.

"Naruto and I invested some money in helping them rebuild in exchange for a safehouse there." Sasuke explained. "It should be ready by now, it has been nearly two and a half months."

"Can we trust them to stay quiet about us?" Itachi asked.

Sasuke shrugged. "We saved their lives and their economy. I think they'll turn a blind eye as long as we sneak Kurama past them."

 **"Not an issue."** Kurama spoke, pushing up on his hind legs and making a few, admittedly clumsy, hand signs. **"Transformation Jutsu."**

With a puff of smoke, Kurama disappeared. In his place was a tall, thin man with a mane of bright red hair.

Sasuke shrugged. "Yeah, that should work."

Their plan set, the three departed, heading east at speed.

* * *

 **Naruto:**

The boy gazed at his new teammates appraisingly. It made sense that he had been reassigned. With Sakura off training, Sasuke off with Itachi and Kakashi off searching with Jiraiya, he was the only one left still in the village. The assignment was a surprising one, at least to Naruto. Apparently, Haku had reacted to his absence from the village by talking Jiraiya into sending her off for training. Naruto had grinned at the news before remembering what Kurama had said about his girlfriend's… unhealthy regard for him. Naruto had been assigned to fill Haku's absent spot on team eleven. Naruto gazed at Kimimaro, the memory of what Kurama had said about the white haired boy's devotion to Haku equally clear in his mind. Kimimaro gazed back, unblinking.

Kosuke, standing between Kimimaro and their group leader, Genma, decided to break the ice. "Good to have you with us, Young Naruto."

The boy ignored the older man. "So," he said, still focused on Kimimaro. "You're in love with Haku."

The white haired boy nodded, face impassive. "Far more so than you will ever be."

Genma winced, opening his mouth to speak, but Kosuke shushed him.

"And you're okay with the fact that she chose me?" Naruto asked.

Kimimaro inclined his head. "Whatever makes Haku happy is what I must make happen. In this case, you are what makes her happy."

Naruto nodded, absorbing this. Kimimaro's world view was pretty much as expected from having heard Kurama describe it. "And is that the same way Haku thinks about me?" He asked.

Kimimaro nodded, expressionless.

Naruto pondered this. "I don't like that." He stated eventually.

"Nor do I," Kimimaro agreed.

"We need to find a way to fix that," Naruto continued.

Kimimaro nodded, a slight smile crossing his lips. The two stared at one another for a minute or two longer, before Naruto grinned. "Glad to be working with you." The boy held out his hand. "That sword you made me was fantastic."

Kimimaro stepped forward and grasped the proffered hand. "I can make you a replacement if you wish."

With that, team eleven began the business of the day, primarily working on low grade missions while Naruto finished his recovery.

When Naruto got home that night, as soon as he was sure he was alone, Naruto allowed his eyes to revert to their true form. The boy let out a sigh of pure relief, holding the transformation back all the time was exhausting. Naruto prepared himself a simple meal. He had been quite relieved to find that, since the removal of Kurama, his own transformation had receded, albeit not completely. His teeth, while sharper than they had been, could pass for human teeth at a glance. His claws had been filed back at the hospital and, greatest relief of all, the boy was once again able to eat human food. His meal consumed, Naruto began to practice with his newfound powers.

 **AN: Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed. Feel free to review and stuff. Bye!**


	52. Chapter 52

**AN: This is my intro! There are many other intro's like it, but this one is mine!**

* * *

 **Tsunade:**

"Are you sure this is where he was supposed to be?" Tsunade asked, gesturing at the small building, a squat brown affair virtually indistinguishable from the rest of the sand village dwellings.

"Very," Dan answered with a nod. "He's in there."

"I'm really not sure about this," Shizune muttered quietly, to which Tsunade shook her head with a sigh.

"Yes, Shizune, I know. You don't think this is a good idea, every instinct is telling you we're being manipulated and you're worried because Orochimaru has already proven he has something he can use to control me." She gestured to Dan, Nawaki having remained behind at the inn, tired from the journey. "And you're right. Every instinct is telling you we should run because that is what we should do. But I'm going in there anyway because I can't not. I'm sorry for that, but it's happening. Your choice, Shizune, is simply whether you're willing to back me up on this or not. If you want to leave, I understand. I'm a big girl, I can make my own mistakes."

Shizune tensed, shaking her head almost immediately. "No. If you're doing this, I'm behind you."

Tsunade nodded. "Thank you, Shizune." Without anything further, she opened the door and stepped inside.

"Oh. Hello, Tsunade," A thin voice greeted her. "Not hiding your age anymore, I see." Tsunade would have been lying if she said she wasn't surprised. The slug princess had been expecting contrast, perhaps white panelling, perhaps a stairway to some basement complex. What Tsunade saw instead was the inside of a small, brown stone cottage. Orochimaru stood in a small kitchen, separated from the entrance/main room by a squat wall that came to waist height. He was scrambling eggs, a pair of cooking chopsticks poised in his right hand.

Tsunade cocked her head to the side, glancing at the food. "You know, I'm almost surprised you still eat food."

Orochimaru laughed. "Come now, I'm still human. For the most part, at least. Would you care for some eggs?"

Tsunade shook her head. "I don't trust you nearly enough to let you cook for me."

The snake sage shrugged. "A shame, I have eggs down to a science."

Tsunade was beginning to get irritated. Even from the very start, her old teammate had put her off balance, she came in here expecting an argument or blackmail and instead found him cooking. It was infuriating. "Enough, Orochimaru. I need to know what you want from me."

The pale figure sighed, taking the pan off the heat and tipping its contents into a small bowl. "Why do you assume I want something from you?" He asked, leaning against the wall opposite her.

"Because you're a conniving bastard who I haven't known to do anything good in the last thirteen years." The slug sage replied without hesitation.

The pale ninja nodded. "True enough," he admitted, taking a bite of his eggs. "And giving your family back was me apologising for that."

"You never apologise," The blonde woman answered curtly.

Orochimaru nodded again. "Indeed, I never apologise to people who don't matter. But you matter, Tsunade, why wouldn't you?"

Tsunade shook her head. "Are you genuinely saying that you don't want something from me?"

The pale ninja hesitated, before shaking his head. "No, I do want something from you, or should I say need. I should probably say need. But this isn't entirely tied to that. Even if you refuse me, I won't take Dan and Nawaki away from you, they really are a gift."

Tsunade shook her head. "I don't like helping evil people."

Orochimaru cocked his head to the side, seeming genuinely confused. "Why do you call me evil?"

Tsunade was stunned. The question was so stupid and the answer so blatant. How could Orochimaru ask that? "You've killed hundreds of people!" She almost shouted.

"Thousands," the snake corrected.

"So how dare you ask why I call you evil!?"

Orochimaru raised his hands to the air with an irritated sigh, the plate of food falling to the ground with a clatter. "Of course! I was an idiot to think you might get it. Why would you stop to consider your 'evil teammates' actions?"

Tsunade remained silent, watching the rare outburst impassively.

"Yes, Tsunade!" Orochimaru continued, his usually calm voice suddenly angry, almost shrill. "I killed people! My experiments were very hard to achieve without massive expenditure of human life, but don't you see? I perfected it. The resurrection jutsu is practically complete. How can you call me evil for killing people when I did it to cure death!? I can even bring them all back now! In that sense, I've killed fewer people than you or Jiraiya."

Tsunade gazed at her former comrade, utterly shocked. "Are you kidding me? That argument is completely sociopathic."

"I AM a sociopath!" Orochimaru shouted, more aggrevated than Tsunade had ever seen him. "But that doesn't make me evil. What reason do you have to call me that?"

The slug sage had no response to that. Orochimaru's argument made sense, twisted though it was. "Fine," she conceded. "Let's go on the assumption that you're not evil then. What do you want my help for?"

Orochimaru took a few moments to visibly calm himself before he responded, folding his arms and shifting his gaze to the floor. Tsunade almost laughed, one of the strongest men alive, and Orochimaru still pouted like a little kid. "Nothing yet," The snake muttered quietly. "I wanted to give you time to see for yourself that my actions made sense, to decide for yourself. Things will start moving soon. Maybe in a year, maybe in two, but soon. War is coming again and I've chosen the sand village to play my part."

"And what is your part?" Tsunade asked, curious and more than a little nervous.

"We need peacekeepers," Orochimaru said quietly. "A dedicated force for preventing collateral damage. An army without political dispositions that can defend those caught in the crossfire."

Tsunade thought back to her time in the land of rain. The war there had destroyed the local people utterly, leaving nothing but a blasted shell. "And my purpose in all this?"

Orochimaru gazed at Tsunade, a hard look in his eye. "I want you to train medical ninja. One thing the last war didn't have nearly enough of, Tsunade, was doctors."

The blonde woman's eyes went wide. She remembered making the exact same point to the leaf village, and being rejected out of hand. Orochimaru was giving her another chance at that idea. "How… how can you possibly have enough influence in this village to put me in charge of ninja?"

Orochimaru shrugged. "I have the Kazekage under my control. Oh don't look at me like that, the man's a bastard. Go take a look at what he did to his kids sometime."

Tsunade shook her head. "I can't decide whether you've gotten better or worse."

"Well," Orochimaru grumbled. "When you figure it out, come talk to me. For now," he pointed to the floor. "I have eggs to clean up."

Tsunade left, somewhat dazed. Shizune and Dan were waiting for her outside. "Well?" Shizune asked. "What happened?"

"We had an honest conversation for once," Tsunade replied absently. "It was disturbing."

* * *

 **A few days later, outskirts of the sand village.**

The house was small and drafty, battered into virtual wreckage by raids during the previous war, as had so many other dwellings in the area. Since then, this district had become something of a slum, housing those among the sand village too poor to afford better. Among their number, veterans too wounded to fight, the crippled, and the merely unfortunate.

The red haired boy walked quietly towards the house, the first along from the strange, unseen dividing line that split the good houses from the bad. The old man who lived there, saw him coming and recognized him. "H-hey now," he said, raising his hands. "I don't want any trouble, I swear."

Gaara didn't respond, raising a hand and calling the sand that made up the ground of the village to rise up around him. At the boy's command, the streams of sand shot forwards. The old man let out a terrified yelp, flinching back, only to find that the sand had not touched him. Instead, it had begun to layer itself against a particularly large opening in the wall of the dwelling, forming a temporary seal in the ruined wall. Stepping forwards, Gaara began making hand signs.

"Earth style: Lesser unity."

The redhead pressed his hand to the compacted sand and, as the old man watched, stunned, it began to flow, melting into itself. Soon, the hole in the wall was gone, replaced by a patch of smooth, solid stone. Gaara gathered more sand, and began repairing the next hole, continuing until the dwelling was whole once more. The whole process took around five or so minutes. The old man stared at Gaara the whole time, open mouthed. He wasn't the only one, all around, people had looked around at the scream, only to have their attention caught by the actions of the small boy. When he finished, Gaara stepped away from the building. The old man rose clumsily, leaning against a wall for support as he tried to stand on a badly damaged leg. "I… I don't… Thank you," he said uncertainly.

Gaara stopped, turning to face the man. He stepped forwards, walking towards the man. It was common knowledge what tended to happen to people who got too close to Gaara, and the man let out a little shriek, turning to run and stumbling on his bad leg. A tendril of sand rose from the ground, catching the man before he could fall and lifting him back to his feet. He screamed, trying to fight the sand back. Too late. The old man felt pressure as the small boy's arms wrapped around his waist and he clenched his eyes shut, the air escaping through his teeth in a terrified whine.

For several seconds, nothing happened. The old man opened his eyes tentatively. He was exactly where he had been, the small boy's form still clinging to his waist. All around them, people were staring. Gaara was touching someone, and that person was still, miraculously, alive. Hesitantly, the man raised a hand to clumsily pat the boy on the back a few times.

After a minute or so, Gaara broke away. The people watching let out their held breath in a gentle sigh of relief.

"Thank you," Gaara said quietly. "That was a nice hug." Without another word, Gaara of the sand moved on to the next destroyed house. Beginning his repairs.

Word spread through the village quickly, and by nightfall, everyone in the hidden sand knew that Gaara, for reasons known only to himself, had repaired the entire slum area in exchange for hugs with its inhabitants.

Gaara sat on a couch that night in his small apartment, his father had commanded he live separately to the rest of the family, curled up with his head on Temari's lap. She smiled down at her little brother, stroking his hair. "You did good today, Gaara. I'm very proud of you."

Gaara gave his sister a shy smile, tentative, almost as if he was afraid the praise would vanish if he acknowledged it.

There was a knock on the door. Kankuro, busy preparing supper in the small kitchen, glanced across at it, an eyebrow cocked. Strange, the only person who usually visited Gaara apart from them was their father, and he never bothered knocking. "Who is it?" he called.

"A person!" A child's voice shouted back.

Curious, Kankuro walked towards the door, the other two gazing across at it as well. Kankuro opened it.

A young, brown haired boy stood in the doorway, practically bouncing up and down on his heels. "Hi there," he said excitably. "I'm Nawaki, nice to meet you!" The boy stuck out his hand and Kankuro, somewhat nonplussed, shook it.

"Kankuro," he responded, his head cocked to the side. "And that's Gaara and Temari." He jerked a thumb over his shoulder.

Nawaki leaned in, gazing past Kankuro to look at the other two. The boy was grinning. "Oh, so YOU'RE Gaara!" he exclaimed, stepping past the protesting Kankuro.

Kankuro tried to stop the boy, bar his path, but the kid dodged nimbly out of the way. A ninja, Kankuro realized, probably quite skilled.

Nawaki walked towards Gaara and plopped himself down in front of the couch, smiling amicably at the redhead. Both Gaara and Temari stared at him.

"So," Nawaki spoke. "I heard you were doing some really cool stuff for poor people today, is that true?"

Silently, Gaara nodded.

"Awesome!" Nawaki said, his grin growing wider. "I wanna be friends. Can we be friends?"

Temari and Kankuro stared, eyes wide as dinner plates. For his part, Gaara went utterly still. "D-d… do you m-mean it?" The redhead asked, his voice small.

"Course I do!" Nawaki replied. "You're awesome!"

A small tear trickled down the side of Gaara's face. "Yes, I would very much like to be your friend," he said, his voice breaking towards the end.

"Cool!" Nawaki exclaimed, leaning in to give Gaara a tight hug. "I heard you like these," he said, his voice muffled against the other boy's chest. Gaara nodded, tears still running silently down his cheeks.

After a time, Nawaki broke away. "Well, I gotta get home or my sis will get mad. Wanna hang out tomorrow?"

Gaara nodded, still stunned.

"Great. See you then." With that, the boy stood and ran from the room, leaving the three shell shocked sand ninja behind him.

* * *

Throughout the world, from the land of waves, to the hidden sand, to the village of rain and even to the land of fire, time passed on. Days spread onward into weeks, weeks spread forth into months.

In their own ways, the Genin and new Chunin of the many villages trained and developed themselves, forming new ties and friendships along the way. In the quiet privacy of his own home, hidden from the eyes of the world. Naruto Namikaze learned to fly.

One day, nearly a year after Orochimaru's attack on the leaf village, Naruto opened his eyes. He lay suspended above his bed, his weight supported by a constant repulsive force. The purple eyed boy grinned, he was ready.

* * *

 **AN: I can haz closing statement after timeskip?**


	53. Chapter 53

**AN: Chapter. Yay!**

* * *

 **Naruto:**

The teenager stepped out into the cold night air and breathed deeply. He had been planning tonight for months, ever since discovering how to fly. He made one final check to ensure he had what he needed, then set off into the night.

The leaf village was quite a sight in the evening, still bustling and vibrant well into the night. The blonde desperately wanted to stop at Ichiraku for a bowl of their seafood special, but he didn't dare risk it. The young ninja wanted to set off from a place where he rarely went, and would therefore be least likely to be recognized. The teen ducked into an alleyway that ran along the side of a small bath-house. It was fairly exclusively used by temporary residents, so he had never been, Kimimaru had mentioned that it was a nice place though. For a moment, Naruto almost regretted not having tried it out, then he caught himself. He was dangerously close to getting nostalgic for the place, and that would not do at all.

The boy kept walking until he found an area that was completely deserted, standing in the shadow cast by the high stone wall of the bath-house. For the first time, Naruto allowed his chakra to flow through his eyes in public, letting his rinnegan activate. The relief was instantaneous, while Naruto had practiced keeping his eyes turned off at all times throughout the last year, it was a definitively uncomfortable exercise, and allowing his chakra to flow was the same kind of relief as removing his shoes after a long day. Nonetheless, Naruto covered his eyes with his hands, not wanting to risk even the slightest chance of being seen in this state. Naruto had decided this needed to be done quickly; the barrier all around the village would warn them of his departure near instantaneously, and he wanted to be long gone.

Naruto built up his power like a charge, holding it tightly within himself. His eyes closed, Naruto took in one last breath, enjoying the innately leaf village smells of old timber, fried food and cut grass, before expressing his power outwards and launching himself into the sky.

* * *

Deep in the great command complex at the centre of the leaf village, a masked man gave a surprised yelp. "The barrier is compromised," the man said immediately. "A single individual, traveling at high speeds."

"What direction?" Another man, one of the Nara tactical division, asked.

"Straight upwards," the sensor replied. "Traveling away from the village. It's at least Jonin level."

The tactics division member raised a small device to his lips, speaking into it. "We have a breach, top point of the spere. Sending aerial response group two to investigate at speed."

The whole exchange, from recognizing the breach, to initiating a response, barely took three seconds. Naruto was already long gone.

Unnoticed by the citizenry of the leaf village, near the entire ninja population of the leaf stirred into motion, frantically responding to the unknown threat as they searched the entire village. It was Shikamaru Nara who first decided to check Naruto's apartment, finding it deserted and emptied of Naruto's personal arsenal of equipment.

Before the morning sun had even risen, a search party had been organized. Team eight, the leaf sensory squad, accompanied by the newly returned Sakura Haruno. Their command was simple, bring Naruto Namikaze back home. There was just one problem.

"I don't get it," Kiba growled in frustration. "His scent is clear as day right up to this spot, but then it just straight up disappears!"

"Not quite," Shino murmured quietly, small insects flittering through the air around him, tasting it. "He didn't vanish, he went upwards. There's a faint chakra trail heading into the sky. I think we found our barrier breach."

"Since when can Naruto fly?" Kiba asked, surprised. Hinata and Sakura both shot the boy an irritated look. "What?" He asked, defensive. "It's a legit question."

Hinata shook her head. "Why are you so surprised?" She asked tiredly. "Naruto gets new powers all the time, remember the chunin exam? You should just learn to go with it."

Sakura nodded her agreement. "Honestly, I'm kind of over it by now. Sasuke and Naruto never stopped learning new abilities, being on a team with them was exhausting."

Kiba smirked at her. "This coming from miss cannon girl."

Sakura shrugged. "I never said I was any different. I had to keep learning new stuff to keep up with them, like so." Sakura raised a hand to her mouth and bit down on her thumb, before pressing it to the floor.

"Summoning Jutsu: Sensor frog."

On the ground before them, in a puff of white smoke, appeared a large green frog, about the size of a chicken. Sakura crouched down to speak with it.

"See that chakra trail?" She asked, pointing to the spot Shino's bugs had indicated. "I need you to point me where it leads." The small creature nodded, its eyes tracking along some unseen path into the sky. After several silent moments, the frog turned, hopping once or twice, to face the east. "Thank you," said Sakura with a smile. The frog gave a small croak before it disappeared. "Let's go." The pink haired girl said, standing up.

In silence, the Naruto recovery team departed into the night.

* * *

 **Days Earlier:**

Sasuke stood, panting, in the centre of the training room. Opposite him, allowing himself just the smallest of grins, stood Itachi. "Well you sure got stronger, didn't you?"

"What?" Sasuke asked. "You thought Kurama was gonna go easy on me?" Sasuke tried not to show it, but he was very proud of himself in that moment. Since their arrival in the wave village, Itachi and Kurama had been alternating months training him. Itachi had focused on martial technique and Sharingan use, Kurama had focused on building up his chakra reserves and had taught him one or two… unusual jutsu.

Itachi's face grew serious. "No, and I'm glad he didn't. We're out of time."

Sasuke stood just a little straighter. In the months where Kurama trained the boy, his older brother tended to vanish, saying that he was off to 'gather information,' he never returned smiling. "What have you found out?" Sasuke asked quietly.

"Akatsuki's readying to attack," Itachi answered. "They're finally finished replacing their lost members and they've deployed."

"Are they after Naruto?" Sasuke asked. "They know he isn't a Jinchuuriki anymore, right?"

 **"I don't see why they should."** Came a rumbling voice from nearby. **"As far as they know, I was sealed back into Naruto's body immediately by Kakashi and Jiraiya. All they know for sure is that Kisame wound up buried under a pile of rubble and there was no sign of a rampaging tailed beast anywhere. They wouldn't expect me to go into hiding for a year."**

"They'll probably be after Naruto," Itachi conceded with a nod. "We're out of training time, let's go save our brother."

 **"Does this mean you'll finally undo this wretched seal?"** Kurama asked, gesturing at the black markings that covered the whole of his form.

"Why would I do that?" Itachi murmured, smiling. "I like you small, Kurama, you're easier to trust this way. Besides, the moment you regain your full size, we lose the option of stealth. Let's keep it as a last resort."

The kyuubi grumbled under his breath, stalking off to the cellar for some meat.

"Get yourself ready," Itachi said, returning his attention to his brother. "We head out tonight."

Sasuke nodded, grinning. He was more than ready for this.

* * *

 **Spy:**

The four ninja moved in silence through the forest, emerging at the small clearing on the outskirts of the leaf village. The de facto leader of the small group, his black and white cape fluttering slightly in the breeze, raised his face to the sky. "Good Job newbie," he murmured. "That passoword got us through the barrier without being seen. If you keep this up, I might not even kill you after this."

"Charming, Kakuzu," Said the man's partner, grinning back towards the two new members. "Don't worry new guy. If Kakuzu really wanted to kill ya, he wouldn't warn you first."

Under his disguise, Kakashi Hatake rolled his eyes before replying in a deep voice that felt utterly unfamiliar to him. "Thanks. I feel so much safer now." He injected as much sarcasm as he could into the statement. His new partner chuckled, her face concealed by the cowl of her hood. So far, his impromptu plan was working perfectly, he had made sure to guide the small group towards the village by way of Kosuke's clearing, trusting in the old ninja to raise the alarm without tipping the others off. He only hoped the old man had already been out hunting his supper when they passed through. Kakashi glanced at the small bundle of sticks at the centre of the clearing. Judging by the presence of fresh firewood, Kosuke had been present when they arrived. Luckily, he had yet to arrange the pile for a fire, and so it had not attracted attention.

Kakuzu stared for a brief moment. Kakashi, looking in the same direction, understood why. Was that a person, rising through the air like that? It was so quick, he might have missed it had he not been on guard for such things. Kakashi had to restrain a groan when he saw the brief flash of yellow hair. Why was it not surprising that Naruto, of all people, could suddenly fly?

"I have a sneaking suspicion," Said Kakashi's partner. "That we just found our target." As if to punctuate the young woman's words, the boy floating above the village began to move, shooting to the east at an incredible pace.

In silence, the four ninja gave chase.

Kosuke gave his warning directly to the Hokage who, for his part, did not overreact. Two crises in the space of five minutes, just the sort of thing he was paid to deal with. Without hesitation, Hiruzen dispatched team Guy, supported by a small group of his personal ANBU, to track and contain the Akatsuki threat.

* * *

Naruto descended to the ground rapidly. He had flown far faster than he ever had before, and the effort was surprisingly exhausting. Luckily, the boy felt relatively sure that he had escaped notice. It wouldn't be too much of an issue if he had to walk for a while. The boy took his time, trudging slowly along the forest path, concealing his eyes once more as he travelled. It took them almost an hour to catch up with him.

To Hidan's credit, Naruto would not have noticed his approach without help. Kakashi and his partner hung back slightly, upon Kakuzu's instruction. Allowing the other two Akatsuki to make their move. There was a brief, silent exchange in whick Kakuzu and Hidan appeared to be playing paper scissors rock. Hidan won. Kakuzu shrugged, stepping back and allowing his partner the attack.

Naruto, blissfully unaware, walked through the forest in silence, gazing up at the stars. Hidan crept towards the boy, great red scythe held at the ready. This was bad, Kakashi knew, very bad. Kakashi decided, he knew what to do. He would pretend to make a blunder, to stumble or trip over a tree root. He only needed to make enough noise to get Naruto to turn around. Kakashi cast an eye over the forest floor, finding a suitable looking twig to step on. Before he could act, however, his partner, seemingly by accident, kicked a small pebble as she walked. The tiny rock flew into the air, clattering down along the path as it landed before coming to a halt. Kakashi turned his head, cocking an eyebrow towards his companion. _Was that….?_ Kakuzu gave Kakashi's suspicious new partner a glare that promised punishment in the extreme.

For his part, Naruto started at the sound, turning and catching sight of the looming, scythe wielding figure standing a few feet back from him, weapon already raised to strike. Quite understandably, the boy let out a high pitched yelp of alarm. Far less understandably, he raised a hand, squeezed his eyes shut and did… something. Whatever it was, it worked. An invisible wave of force caught the surprised murderer around the midsection, launching him backwards along the path by quite a distance.

Kakashi watched, stunned. The other two, less aquainted with Naruto's supposed skill set, were less taken aback. Naruto turned and ran, Kakuzu and the mysterious other girl giving chase, followed in short order by Kakashi and a very unsettlingly happy Hidan. "Oh, this is gonna be so fun!" Hidan said, grinning madly as he caught up with Kakashi. "The boy's mine though, remember that, newbie!"

Behin them, the pursuing ANBU squad, accompanied by team Guy, gave chase. Unknown to anyone present. Sakura, accompanied by the sensory team, wasn't far behind.

* * *

"Hang on," Hinata said quietly, her Byakugan drawing strange lines across her face as she searched the road ahead. "Someone's fighting over there!" The girl pointed. It was all they needed to hear. The four ninja broke into a run.

* * *

"So," Sasuke said, deciding he may as well make some conversation as the three of them walked. "You're saying we should just disguise ourselves, walk in to the village, and snatch Naruto without anyone being any the wiser?"

"Yup," Itachi said, smiling. "Couldn't be simpler."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I see absolutely no way in which this plan could go awry."

Itachi sighed. "Look, Sasuke, I know sometimes things can get complicated for us-"

"Like when you let your teammate sedate us?" Sasuke asked pointedly.

Itachi took a deep breath, Sasuke had refused to let that one go. "Yes," he muttered through clenched teeth. "Like when Kisame betrayed us. But things don't always have to go wrong, you know. As long as we're all carefull, there is no reason this plan won't work."

"One," Sasuke said under his breath. "Two."

 **"What are you doing?"** Kurama asked, walking beside the boy.

"Counting the seconds till the plan goes wrong," Sasuke answered. "Three."

"Jesus, when did you turn into such a brat?" Itachi asked, shooting his brother an irritated glance.

 **"Teenagers,"** Kurama said, chuckling.

"Four," said Sasuke, ignoring them. "Five."

"For the love of- Stop counting!" Itachi snapped. "Nothing's going to go wrong with my plan, okay?"

Almost on cue, a loud yelp sounded in the distance, followed by a quiet 'Whumpf' of something hitting the ground and the stamping of feet.

"Five seconds," Sasuke said, folding his arms. "I got to five."

"Shut up," said Itachi tiredly, drawing a kunai. "My plan didn't go wrong, we didn't even start the plan."

A young figure emerged from the treeline, running towards the three of them full pelt. All three companions recognized his mop of yellow hair immediately. They dashed forwards to intercept the boy.

 **"Naruto!"** Kurama practically shouted, blocking his path. **"What's wrong? Tell me what happened."** Itachi and Sasuke moved to either side of Naruto, gazing intently at him.

Naruto, panting very slightly from his short but desperate sprint, pointed behind him.

Itachi felt his heart sink as they emerged. Akatsuki, four of them. Two he recognized, Kakuzu and Hidan, Powerfull, but lacking subtlety. He was confident he could deal with either one of them, Kurama could likely handle the other. The other two though, they were unknown. Unknown was never good with Akatsuki.

"Sasuke, Naruto," Itachi said quietly. "Get behind us, Kurama and I can handle these four."

 **"Can we?"** Kurama asked, moving with him to stand in front of the two boys.

"Probably," Itachi muttered so that only the fox could hear. "I might have to use Kotoamatsukami though, not what I was hoping for."

* * *

"Hey," muttered Hidan, sidling up to Kakuzu as they faced off against the two surprising new adversaries. "Is it just me, or is that the Nine Tails over there?"

"Appears to be," Kakuzu replied, hiding his confusion with expert care. "I guess our job just got complicated."

"Yeah," Hidan said, snickering slightly. "Looks that wa-"

"Sorry, but this is the best chance I'll get." Kakashi interrupted before thrusting his fist, encased in an arcing blue energy, straight through hidan's chest. The man stared down at the hole in his torso, the man's arm still embedded in his heart.

"Well thank goodness you attacked ME with that," he said conversationally. "If you'd gone for Kakuzu, you might have achieved something." Reaching up, Hidan grasped his attacker's wrist, stopping him when he tried to pull back. With his other hand, the undying ninja raised his scythe, ready to swing. "Bye now."

Kakuzu shook his head in annoyance. "Stop playing with your food," he muttered, stepping forwards to face Itachi and the fox.

Hidan laughed, swinging the great blade down towards both the traitor and himself. To be fair to him, of the two targets he had been aiming for, he did hit one of them. The scythe caught him in the middle, embedding into his stomach. On an unrelated note, the arm he had been using to hold the traitor in place fell to the ground with a thud.

Kakashi landed some distance away, heart beating just a little faster than normal. "That was a close one," he admitted, turning to his partner. "So you're a spy too, I take it? Why else would you sever Hidan's arm for me?" The cloaked woman nodded, remaining silent. "I'm here for Jiraiya," Kakashi continued conversationally. "You?"

The woman hesitated for some time, considering her unexpected ally thoughtfully, before eventually, she shrugged. "I'm here for Lady Tsunade," she said, extending a hand, which Kakashi shook.

"Kakashi Hatake," The silver haired ninja introduced himself. "You?"

"Shizune," the woman replied, dropping into a combat stance beside him. "So, Hidan first?"

"Looks that way, yeah."

Shizune nodded.

* * *

Standing behind the protective barrier of Kurama and Itachi, Naruto groaned. This was the exact opposite of a stealthy exit.

* * *

 **AN: I have no things to say!**


	54. Chapter 54

**AN: FORMAT!**

* * *

 **Tension:**

Kakuzu straightened to his full height, glancing around himself. "So, Hidan," he murmured, reaching down to untie the loose belt of his robe. "Looks like we're outnumbered six to two."

Itachi and the nine tails didn't move, standing protectively in front of their younger companions. The two spies were hanging back, waiting for them to make the first move.

Hidan chuckled. "Yeah, looks that way." He stooped down, picking up his severed arm and holding the stump out to his partner.

"Not yet," Kakuzu growled, slipping out of his robe to reveal his exposed torso. Naruto gaped. Along the shinobi's back, five masks of varying designs seemed to have been stitched in place. Kakuzu let out a small groan as one of the masks began to quiver and twitch, creaking slightly with every move.

Hidan frowned. "And why can't you reattach it now?" He said angrily. "This hurts, dammit!"

Kakuzu chuckled. "Don't pretend to care about pain, Hidan. It makes you look like a fool."

"Well maybe I don't," the one armed ninja retorted. "But we're fighting enemy ninja here and I need both arms."

Kakuzu let out another groan, not quite pain, but not quite pleasure either. "Shut up," he muttered, reaching out a hand to the stump of hidan's shoulder. The mask, still quivering at Kakuzu's back, moved. Carried by some sort of sickening, greyish tendrils, the mask wormed its way out of Kakuzu's body, climbing up his exposed torso and along his arm. With a sick squelching sound that made Naruto shudder, the mask dug its tendrils into Hidan's open wound, burrowing into him. A few of the horrible tendrils extended to Hidan's severed arm, embedding themselves into the flesh and pulling the severed limb back in place. Within a few seconds, all that was left as evidence of the injury was the mask, sitting on Hidan's shoulder.

"There," Kakuzu murmured. "That mask should stitch you back together if you get wounded. Now stop bothering me."

Hidan flexed his newly reattached arm a few times. His expression of confusion slowly turning into a wide grin. "Kakuzu, do you have any idea how much this hurts?"

The masked man shrugged. "You have thick tentacles burrowing through every part of your body. I imagine it's agonizing."

Hidan gave a happy grin. "Yup!"

Kakuzu let out another low chuckle. "Good. Now go kill those spies while I deal with these four." Kakuzu rolled his neck with a series of small cracks, groaning in that same way he had before. The four remaining masks sitting on his back began to move.

* * *

Kakashi watched the proceeding carefully, not even flinching as the tentacle mask buried its grey body into Hidan's flesh. "This looks bad," he murmured. "The guy has a scythe blade in his stomach and his arm's been ripped off. He should be dead. Can you see anything that might tell us why he isn't?"

Shizune shook her head. "No. My specialty is medical ninjutsu. I can't discern anything about this because this isn't medical ninjutsu, this is just messed up."

Before Kakashi had time to respond, Hidan charged, pulling his scythe from his torso with his freshly reattached arm and running, full pelt towards the duo. Wordlessly, the two sannin's apprentices dodged, each going a different way. Hidan grinned, turning his attention towards Shizune and chasing her down. The mask at his shoulder twisted in place, extending on its tendrils so that it sat positioned on a stalk beside Hidan's head. The thing rotated, pointing towards Kakashi and, quite unexpectedly, firing a narrow stream of water towards the ninja. He barely dodged in time. The arcing lance of liquid struck a tree, severing it cleanly through the bough.

Kakashi grimaced under his disguise as he watched Shizune frantically evade her pursuer, this was not going to be a fun fight.

* * *

As Hidan broke away, running off to engage his two unexpected adversaries, Kakuzu turned towards Itachi and Kurama. Kakuzu arched his back, seemingly in spasm as the masks at his back began to quiver violently. Kurama and Itachi readied themselves. From behind the two, a bolt of black fire streamed forth, striking Kakuzu in the centre of his exposed chest. The masked ninja let out a shriek of pain, doubling over as the fire struck and clung to his flesh, burning him continually. Itachi glanced at his brother behind him, grinning. "Good job, Sasuke." Itachi tried not to sound too bitter. Amaterasu was one of the powers he had lost in the mangekyou transplant. The power to perform it had resided within his right eye, replaced now by a glass fixture. In receiving Shisui's left eye, he had kept the power of his own left eye, Tsukuyoumi, but had lost the black fire of Amaterasu, he regretted that loss of power almost as much as the loss of his Susanoo. "Now, I want you and Naruto to run. Take him back to the wave, Kurama and I will join you when we're done."

Sasuke bristled. "No! I can fight with you, let me stay."

Itachi turned back to face Kakuzu. The masked ninja's screams had already subsided, he stood straight once more, seemingly ignoring the black flames slowly burning through his torso. "I don't have time to argue, Sasuke. If you and Naruto stay here, Kurama and I will have to look after you. That's the sort of thing that could slow us down or get us killed. GO." As he spoke, the distant figure of Kakuzu groaned once more, a bundle of tendrils bristling through the skin of his chest, either pushing the fire away or, more likely, severing the skin to which it was bound. The massive slab of skin that had so recently covered Kakuzu's chest fell to the ground with a wet slap, still burning.

Kakuzu took a step forwards. "Your brother took my skin from me," he said in an angry murmur, directing his words to Itachi. "I'll be replacing it with his."

"Yeah, you two need to run," Itachi repeated, not taking his attention off of the abomination before him. Kurama nodded in silent agreement.

With an aggrevated sigh, Sasuke took hold of Naruto's shoulder and began to drag his protesting brother away from the fight. They made it nearly ten feet before, with a sickening slick sound, three of the remaining masks burst out of Kakuzu's body, each held aloft by more of those grey tendrils, so many that they shouldn't have fit within the ninja's form. The masks formed the tendrils into vaguely human shapes, each larger than Kakuzu himself.

All at once, the fight began. Kakuzu and his three beasts charged forward, the masked horrors spewing gouts of elemental power from their ceramic faces. One of fire, one of earth, and one firing bolts of pure electrical energy. Kurama tackled the earth monster to the ground, the two beasts wrestling one another for supremacy. Itachi engaged the lightning beast and Kakuzu himself, holding his own without too much difficulty. The fire beast, for its part, broke away and began to chase down the fleeing boys, its lumbering gait surprisingly fast. The thing slowly began to gain ground as the boys ran. They just barely made it to the cover of the trees when the creature drew close enough to use its fire, great gouts of flame striking against ancient forest wood.

* * *

Naruto and Sasuke sat on a tree branch, watching the beast below them as it slowly burned its way through the forest, heading only vaguely in the right direction.

"Has it lost us?" Naruto asked.

"Not sure," Sasuke replied quietly. "I think it knows roughly where we are, but not our exact location."

Naruto nodded. "Two choices then," he murmured. "We can run, and probably make it out easily enough; or we can go for an ambush. I'm pretty sure we can take this thing."

Sasuke grinned. "Well I definitely can. So as long as you didn't get too slow while I was away, I should be able to look after you."

Naruto restrained a snort of laughter, carefull in case the beast noticed him. "Don't you worry about me. I'll be just fine as long as you don't slow me down."

As the two boys watched, the beast drew nearer. Burning all in its path. Silently, the brothers separated, each disappearing among the burning trees. The challenge had been issued, the race was on. The winner, by mutual consent, was whoever was first to kill the beast.

* * *

Standing behind the burning bough of a large pine tree, Sasuke grinned. He allowed the energy to crackle through the whole of his body, just as he had done while training for the Chunin exams. He had refined the technique since then. It was quieter now, the glow it emitted dimmed somewhat as more of the electrical energy travelled beneath his skin. Sasuke activated his Sharingan, stepping out from behind the tree and almost immediately catching sight of the monster, a stream of heat still spewing from its maw. Sasuke raised a hand, cloaking it with his chidori, and charged.

* * *

Naruto crouched behind a bush as of yet untouched by the rampaging beast's flames. The boy watched the creature continue its destructive path in silence. He grimaced, this thing was hardly subtle. He sighed. _Well, whatever._

Naruto stood, allowing himself to be seen clearly as he let the chakra flow through his eyes, his rinnegan exposed once more. Naruto raised his left hand towards the creature, his right hand held at his waist, a small orb of pale, swirling blue energy forming in his palm. The boy channelled the power of his rinnegan through his extended hand, emitting a force designed to pull the great creature towards him and his waiting attack.

It was then, that something quite unexpected happened.

* * *

The creature's assault was halted neither by Sasuke's chidori nor Naruto's rasengan. Instead, a small, compact steel ball slammed into its ceramic mask with a clang that sent echoes ringing through the forest. The creature staggered back, its mask shattered into a thousand tiny pieces, no longer able to spew forth flames.

For a single moment, the steel ball seemed to just hang there in midair. Then, with a puff of smoke, Sakura blossomed once more into existence, a satisfied smirk on her face. "Gotcha," the girl murmured, gazing down at the writhing beast. Then she noticed Sasuke, a look of desperate panic on his face as he furiously tried to halt his collision course, his momentum far too great to slow. Sakura let out a startled little 'eep!' before, with an unsettling sensation, Sakura felt something pulling at her. The unknown jutsu grabbed hold of Sakura and yanked her to the side, mercifully out of Sasuke's path. The girl twisted in midair to see where she was headed and gave another quiet yelp. Standing in the firelight, rasengan held at the ready and a look of utter shock on his face, stood Naruto.

* * *

 **AN: Closing statement!**


	55. Chapter 55

**AN: So let's see how this all plays out.**

* * *

Naruto, eyes wide in surprise, shifted his hand slightly. Almost immediately, Sakura felt the force pulling her towards the boy lessen, inverting itself to halt her momentum. The girl dropped to the ground between her two erstwhile teammates. The three of them stared at one another.

"Umm… Hi?" Naruto said, more than a little confused. "I thought you were off training with the toad sages."

Behind Sakura, the downed beast writhed, its mask gone, but its body still functional. "What the hell is HE doing here!?" Sakura asked, pointing at Sasuke before turning to look at him. "I thought your brother kidnapped you or something."

"What? No!" Sasuke protested. "I went off to train with him because he's my brother!"

"But you hate him!" Sakura shouted, confused and more than a little angry. "He killed your family!"

"Oh yeah," Naruto murmured in realization. "I hadn't had a chance to tell you since you got back. Turns out Itachi's innocent, someone else forced him into it."

The formless beast gradually began to slow its movements, seemingly regaining some small measure of control. It slowly pulled itself to its feet, emitting a keening wail from somewhere within itself.

The three young ninja glanced over at the thing, irritated by the interruption. "I guess we should finish killing that thing, huh?" Naruto muttered. Sasuke darted towards the thing, once more glowing that faint blueish hue. The movement was almost too fast to track as Sasuke shoved his sparking hand through the creature's tentacular mass of a body, leaping upwards as he sliced the thing cleanly from crotch to head. The squirming mass broke apart in an instant, individual tendrils pooling on to the floor in a jumbled heap as they slowly dissolved, leaving behind a cluster of objects that looked unsettlingly like human organs.

"Why are you here, Sakura?" Naruto asked, hiding his eyes once more in the hopes that Sakura hadn't noticed them in the dancing firelight.

The girl turned to him, a determined look on her face. "My team was instructed to retrieve you and facilitate your safe return to the leaf village," she said coolly.

Naruto chuckled. "Well, you can go ahead and try if you think you- wait a second, your TEAM?"

Sasuke, wiping his hands clean of the residual gunk from killing the monster, looked across at the other two, curious.

"Yo," called a voice from nearby, one that Naruto had no trouble recognizing. Kiba. "Sakura," he called, approaching at a jog. "Please don't run off ahead again, it's dangerous."

Sakura cocked an eyebrow at her momentary teammate at that. "I can handle myself," the girl replied, dangerously quiet.

"I'm sure you can," said another new voice, barely audible above the crackling flames. "But we are supposed to stick together, Sakura." Shino. So that meant Hinata must be here somewhere too.

Naruto turned to face his teammate. "So," he said quietly. "The four of you were sent out to capture me?"

"Retrieve you," Sakura corrected. "It was assumed you were kidnapped and I'm not going to say any different when we get back. That way, you stay out of trouble."

Naruto sighed. "I'm not going back, Sakura. I need to do this."

Sakura shook her head sadly, trying to ignore the small part of herself that was secretly thrilled she'd be getting to fight Naruto soon. "I'm sorry to hear that, guess we'll just have to drag you home then." The girl glanced over her shoulder at the dark haired boy. "Sasuke too."

Naruto and Sasuke laughed. "Really?" Sasuke asked. "The three of you-"

"Plus Hinata," Naruto interrupted.

"Four of you," Sasuke amended. "The four of you are honestly going to try fighting me and Naruto?"

Kiba growled at this, Shino remained impassive. Sakura, for her part, simply nodded.

The two boys stopped laughing, both turning serious in an instant. "Well," Naruto murmured.

"Okay then," Sasuke finished.

Sakura saw it coming and moved to react, too slow. Sasuke practically vanished, reappearing before Kiba and planting his fist into the other boy's gut, his whole body glowing that strange electric blue. The tousle haired boy's eyes went wide, his mouth opening as the air was forced hard out of his body. The force of the blow lifted Kiba bodily off the ground, sending him sprawling some distance through the burning forest. Naruto, for his part, drew his fans from the sheaths at his hips in a flash. He drew them out to the sides and then swept them forwards, sending a massive gust of air rocketing at Shino.

The bug ninja had doubtless had some plan in the works, but his bugs were hampered by the flames and Naruto's attack was likely a further problem. The blast struck the boy dead on and sent him flying towards a tree. Fortunately, the gust also served to extinguish a number of the fires throughout the small patch of forest.

Sakura groaned, deeply frustrated. "Fine," she amended. "I intend to fight the two of you with just Hinata." As if on cue, the blue haired girl dropped from the trees between Sasuke and the still conscious, but definitely the worse for wear Kiba.

"I will be your next opponent," Hinata said, quiet and calm, tinted with just barest hint of anger as she looked Sasuke dead in the eye. The dark haired boy, quite sensibly, gulped.

Sakura turned to Naruto, her expression determined. "And I will be yours," she said, in a tone that left no room for disagreement.

Naruto sighed. "Fine, just let me put out these fires first. Don't want Shino burning to death over there."

Sakura hesitated, but nodded, waiting while Naruto quickly and efficiently used his wind to extinguish the rest of the fires. "Now then," the boy said, returning his gaze to his teammate. "Show me what the toads taught you."

* * *

Hinata struck rapidly, sending a fierce flurry of blows raining down towards the Uchiha. Sasuke used his lightning step to evade, shifting himself behind the girl and aiming a punch at her back. Hinata didn't even flinch at his speed, her hand darting behind herself to slap Sasuke's blow aside. The girl turned to face the boy, her eyes blazing with a fire he had never seen there before.

Sasuke cocked his head to the side. "Jeez, Hinata, what got into you over the last year?"

Hinata let out a single short huff of laughter. "Youth," she replied, before continuing her assault, raining blow after blow towards the boy with a precision and speed that did credit to her clan.

Sasuke was shocked. He had expected the girl to be a challenge, maybe even for her to justify using his godspeed technique. He had never even considered that she might be able to counter it. The boy was faster, he knew. There was no doubt in his mind about that, but it was a moot point when the girl moved with such efficiency, her reaction times even putting his Sharingan enhanced abilities to shame. The bout continued in a furious stalemate for almost seven seconds, during which the two exchanged dozens of blows, none of which hit their mark. Eventually, frustrated, Sasuke jumped back, changing tack. The boy began to make his hand-signs, readying his jutsu.

The girl's fist slammed into his stomach, knocking the breath from him and sending him sprawling several feet. Sasuke gagged.

"Primary lotus," Hinata said quietly, her voice calm. "Feel that, Sasuke? That's how Kiba felt when you punched him in the stomach."

Sasuke gazed up at the Hyuuga girl in stark terror. The primary lotus? If Hinata had learned Lee's technique then her speed-

Sasuke's trail of thought was cut off as Hinata picked him up off the ground by the scruff of his neck, throwing him like a rag doll towards Kiba. Sasuke landed in a sprawl in the dirt. Kiba had managed to work himself into a sitting position and was clutching his stomach, gazing down at Sasuke with a look that was something like pity.

Sasuke looked up at the other ninja, confused and scared. In a weak voice, he asked "What the hell happened to Hinata while I was gone?"

* * *

 **A year ago, Hinata:**

The two young shinobi sat across from one another, desperately looking anywhere but at one another. The date was going… poorly. Lee had invited Hinata to accompany him to a newly opening Ice cream parlour and the girl had agreed, it had sounded like fun. The only problem, neither of them had spoken a complete sentence for twenty minutes now.

"The weather…" Lee tried, half heartedly, before clamming up once more, going a vibrant shade of red.

"Cloudy…" Hinata replied, staring at her sundae as though it might somehow rescue her.

"…Yes." The boy agreed, his voice tiny.

Internally, Hinata berated herself. After all that effort, was this all she could manage? Was she really still just a frightened little girl? The internal abuse stirred something up in the back of her mind, a memory.

"D-did you… really mean it?" The girl asked.

The boy seemed to panic, mentally reviewing their entire list of half conversations since entering the small shop. "Did I mean the weather was cloudy?" He asked, nervous?

Hinata shook her head. "A-at the tournament. Did you mean it when you said anyone could be extraordinary? That potential didn't matter?"

The nervousness faded from Lee, replaced by a fiery passion in a single instant. "Yes," he said, nodding fiercely. "I believe that with every fiber of my being. We can be whatever we aim to be."

Hinata nodded, glancing across at the boy before once again averting her eyes. "C-can you help me do that too?"

Lee cocked his head to the side, nonplussed. "What?" He asked.

"I… I don't have potential." Hinata said, her voice tiny as she tried to hold back the tears. "B-but I don't want that to stop me. I want to be stronger, faster. I-I'll do anything to get there. P-please help me, Lee!" The girl lowered her head to the table, half in supplication and half to hide her tears. Lee sat in silence, stunned.

"Is that so?" Came an adult voice from nearby.

Hinata jerked her head around, panicked. Sitting in the next booth, hidden from view by numerous pot plants, sat Maito Guy, accompanied by Neji and Tenten, both of whom were looking away, blushing.

"W-what are you three doing here?" Hinata asked, thoroughly confused. "I thought Lee told you we were meeting up here, why did you come?"

"That doesn't matter," Guy replied, his students averting their eyes in a way that suggested it well and truly did. "What's important right now is what you just said. Are you really willing to do anything to get stronger? Go as far as and further than it is possible for you to go?"

Hinata nodded, determined. "I'll go as far as I have to."

"Then it's settled!" The Jonin exclaimed, loud and proudly, seizing the girl by the shoulder and practically lifting her along with him as he made for the exit. "Come on Lee! We have to give your girlfriend here the training of a lifetime!"

What followed could only be described by Hinata as the most gruelling and yet, strangely rewarding afternoon of her life. Hinata was left broken, her entire body aching and sore. The next morning, completely ignoring the stiffness in her joints and the protests of her muscles, Hinata arose early and joined Lee and his sensei for more. When she spoke, it was about training, when she met up with Lee, it was for practice. It was after several weeks of this, the most extensive and challenging training regimen on the planet, that Hinata and Lee shared their first kiss.

It had been a year since then.

* * *

Kiba did not respond to Sasuke's question immediately. Instead, he shuddered a little. "I asked if I could train with them once," he whispered, his face going pale. "Never again."

Hinata appeared, as if from the very aether, standing over Sasuke's terrified form. "Well?" She asked. "Are you sorry for hurting Kiba like that?"

White as a sheet, the boy nodded.

"Say it," the girl said quietly.

"I'm sorry," he practically whimpered.

"To Kiba," Hinata advised.

"Sorry Kiba!" Sasuke yelped, turning his face towards the other boy, who nodded, looking equally terrified.

"I forgive you," Kiba whispered quietly.

Hinata nodded, smiling a carefree smile. "Good," she said happily. "I'm glad. Now we can take you back to the village, Sasuke."

The boy's terror vanished, replaced instantly by a cold certainty. "Not happening." He shook his head.

Hinata sniffed slightly, disappointed. "That's a shame," she muttered. "I hoped I wouldn't have to do this."

The girl's fist plunged towards Sasuke like the wrath of god, impacting with a sound like the roar of the sea against a mountainside. Sasuke glared up at the girl from behind his ghostly barrier, unflinching, before pulling himself to his feet. "Susanoo," he murmured, giving name to the ghostly ribcage that hovered all around him. "Let's get serious."

* * *

 **AN: Something vaguely witty and intelligent about strong female characters and wanting to do Hinata justice. All that. Woo.**


	56. Chapter 56

**AN: This is a formatting sentence.**

* * *

Naruto and Sakura watched the furious confrontation in awe, mouths hanging open very slightly. "Wow," Naruto said quietly. "She's terrifying now." He turned his gaze to Sakura. "I'm gonna be honest, when you said you were planning on fighting me and Sasuke with just Hinata, I thought you were bluffing."

"So did I," Sakura admitted. "I was planning on having to fight you both myself. Turns out Hinata's good enough that I don't have to worry about that."

Naruto chuckled. "Look, Sakura, I get that you've been training hard and all, but do you really think you're strong enough to fight me AND Sasuke at the same time?"

Sakura shrugged. "Honestly, I don't know. I'd love to find out, though."

Naruto smiled. "Sure, I get it. Let's try it then."

Without any further warning, the boy swung his fans, still clutched in either hand, towards the girl as fast as he was able. Sakura saw it coming, realizing immediately that she was far too close to the boy to dodge the attack. The girl brought her hands together in a simple seal, she had to be fast.

"Transform!"

The rush of oncoming wind struck the emerging steel ball full force, shoving it backwards a few feet, it fell to the ground with a thump. Naruto shook his head in disappointment, didn't Sakura know that he'd just blast her again the moment she transformed back? The boy readied his fans and stood, waiting.

All was still for several seconds, the boy staring at the orb in an odd kind of stalemate, before finally, with a puff of smoke, the ball vanished. Naruto instantly let off another blast, the gust of compressed air shooting towards Sakura with ravaging force. When the girl moved, it was so quick that the boy barely caught it. Sakura lunged to the side, to her credit, almost fast enough to dodge the attack, but not quite. The edge of the gust caught Sakura and sent her sprawling for less than a second before the girl righted herself, unfazed. Naruto was impressed, more than a little. It was then that, for the first time, he noticed the small orange markings around Sakura's eyes.

* * *

 **Seven months ago, Sakura:**

"What do you mean I can't learn Sage mode?" Sakura asked angrily. "If this is about me not being the chosen one again, I swear to-"

"No, young one," Fukusaku replied quietly. "It has nothing to do with that. We agreed to teach you as best we could, and so we shall. The problem is, Sage mode requires a truly tremendous reserve of chakra to perform. You just don't have enough of it."

Sakura's heart sank. "B-but… all my training…"

"I know, child." Fukusaku closed his eyes, sighing quietly. "The problem, young one, is that in order to enter the sage mode, one must gather the natural energy around them and convert it into chakra, a process requiring the individual to regulate it with their own chakra supply." The old toad took a puff from his smoking pipe, before continuing. "What this means, is that in order to gather enough sage chakra to truly make a difference in a fight, you would need an ungodly amount of it to begin with. Take Jiraiya for example, he has enough chakra in his body to sustain a sage transformation for around five minutes." For some reason, Fukusaku gave an aggrevated sigh. "If he ever actually mastered it, that is. But your chakra levels, even after having trained here with us for five months, are still comparatively low. At your power, you might be able to make the transformation last… perhaps forty seconds, a minute at most."

Sakura's head jerked up at that, a determined look on her features once more. "So it is possible then?" She asked.

Fukusaku hesitated. "…Technically, yes. But only in a weakened capacity, and doing so would be far riskier for you. All that for only a minute of increased power. Is it worth it?"

"You can do a lot in a minute," Sakura replied.

"True enough," Fukusaku agreed. "But every jutsu you performed in that form would shorten the time span. Once gone, the power takes several seconds to replenish, during which, you must remain stationary so as to gather energy."

"I want to learn," Sakura said quietly. "Teach me."

The old toad sighed. "I will if you wish, but why? Why take such a risk to yourself? And for such a small reward?"

Sakura smiled tightly. "Because that's what heroes do and damsels don't."

* * *

Sakura put her hands together, repeating the now familiar hand signs.

"Sage art: Multi shadow clone jutsu!"

All around Sakura, over a dozen more of herself sprang into being in a puff of smoke. Even that single jutsu, Sakura knew, was enough to almost completely deplete her sage chakra reserves. That was okay, her clones, reinforced by sage chakra, would be strong enough to hold Naruto off while she gathered more. Sakura pressed her hands together, pulling natural energy into herself. The shadow Sakurai (her personally invented plural for herself) charged forward, roaring battlecries.

* * *

Naruto was more than just mildly impressed now, he was intrigued. The boy had known his teammate was skilled before their separation, but had assumed that she would have fallen behind him and Sasuke, not due to any fault on her part, but because of his and his brother's genuinely unnatural advantages. It seemed he had been mistaken.

Naruto didn't like doing this, revealing the changes to his eyes, even partially, was not a choice he relished, but the girl was leaving him little choice, and it was this or rinnegan. The boy dropped his fans to the floor, lacking the time to sheathe them properly, and drew his sword, the second that Kimimaro had made for him. Chanelling his chakra, Naruto activated his sharingan, allowing time to slow as he strode confidently towards the oncoming storm of angry shadow clones.

* * *

Sakura's eyes widened. That had not gone as planned. Sakura had hoped her shadow clones might weaken the boy, perhaps even injure him slightly while she recharged her chakra. The reality, as it happened, was less than kind. Naruto's ivory blade sliced through the shadow clones with consumate ease, none of them even coming close to landing a blow on the boy.

The engagement lasted less than three seconds. Sakura grinned, plenty of time. The girl drew her tanto, a chakra metal forged gift from the toads of Miyoboku, stepping forwards as Naruto advanced, his own blade held at the ready.

Fukusaku had been wrong. Sakura realized as she clashed with the boy, their blades meeting in the gloom of the forest. The old toad had said sage mode took a long time to recharge, far too long for combat situations. Perhaps that was true enough for people like Jiraiya, the girl considered; but for her, it was different. Sakura had one advantage that no other sage in history had, she was weaker. The girl grinned as she pushed the blonde boy backwards, her enhanced strength and speed allowing her a noticeable edge in the fight. It was true that her sage chakra lasted less than a minute; but the upside to having less than a fifth of the energy, was that it took less than a fifth of the time for her to recharge.

Sakura forced the boy backwards, glancing across at his face with a grin, only to stop dead in her tracks, stunned. "What the- Are those SHARINGAN!?"

Naruto sighed. "Yes and shush. I don't want the whole world to know."

Sakura groaned. "God damn it! This is why I hate competing with chosen ones, you two get all kinds of perks!"

Naruto gave a helpless little shrug. "Not my fault. Besides, we're not the only ones. What's going on with your eyes, huh?"

Sakura grunted. "That's different," she muttered, pointing at her orange rimmed eyes, the pupils a strange square shape. "Anyone can get these with the right training. But you having sharingan? That should be physically impossible!"

Naruto didn't bother correcting her. While it wasn't true that having sharingan should be impossible, it was certainly true that having rinnegan should be. Sakura had more of a point than she realized. "Sorry," he grumbled after a moment. "I know it's not fair."

Sakura stared at the boy for a long moment, surreptitiously recharging her sage chakra. "Don't you dare apologise for that ever again," the girl said flatly, before leaping high into the air, making yet another hand-sign.

"Sage art earth style: Improved Rock Gun Technique, Rock Gatling!"

Channeling nearly all of her full supply of sage chakra, Sakura fired a spray of tiny rocks from her mouth, each flying towards the unfortunate boy below. As they travelled the intervening space, the tiny rocks swelled, each to the size of a boulder, hurtling towards Naruto with ungodly speed. The boy yelped, flinching backwards and instinctively falling back on his best defence. Naruto's eyes shifted, going from glowing red to deep purple in an instant, the boy held his palms out towards the onrushing calamity of stones and, with harsh grinding noise, the barrage halted in mid air. One or two of the boulders split from the force of their sudden stop, before the whole lot of them fell to the floor, harmless.

Sakura landed atop a boulder, staring directly into Naruto's eyes as he awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, so… about those unfair advantages…" the boy muttered quietly.

"For god's sake!" Sakura screamed, directing her fury not at Naruto, but at the skies themselves. "Are you even gonna pretend you're making this fair!?"

Naruto remained silent, he was pretty sure he didn't want to get involved with whatever conflict Sakura was having with the universe right now.

After a moment, Sakura regained some sense of herself, looking back towards Naruto. "You knoe what? Screw it! I'm going all in!" Once more, Sakura replenished her sage chakra, before biting her thumb and slamming her palm to the ground.

"Summoning Jutsu: Boss Toad, Gamabunta!" She yelled.

To call it a puff of smoke would be underselling the situation vastly. The plume of white covered the entire section of the forest, even causing Sasuke and Hinata to turn and stare, ceasing their furious engagement.

The toad was massive, easily the size of the entire Hokage building. Sakura stood atop its head, a fact about which Gamabunta was not pleased.

 **"What makes you think you can-"** he started, eyeing the girl fiercely.

"Shut up," Sakura cut him off. "I don't have time, Bunta. There's a boy down there who needs to be taught a lesson about fate. You're going to help with that."

Gamabunta gazed long and hard at the girl. She gazed back, harder. Eventually, Gamabunta averted his eyes, more than a little ashamed. **"Yes boss. What's the lesson?"**

Sakura smiled. "The lesson is, screw fate, get him!"

Naruto, very wisely, decided to run, Sasuke was not far behind him. Naruto used still only partially regenerated flight to speed his exit, while Sasuke ran with the very force of lightning at his back. They fled.

Looking at Sasuke as they ran, Naruto shouted a terrified proclamation. "We are never fighting them again!" Sasuke, too busy running to give an answer, only nodded.

* * *

 **AN: Hey guys, for once I actually have things to say here.**

 **Most of you won't know this, but I'm working on a web serial at the moment that I'm looking at starting publication on soon and I'm looking for some beta readers to give narrative feedback. Please PM me if interested. Thanks guys.**


	57. Chapter 57

**AN: Format!**

* * *

 **Gaara:**

The boy sat in blissfull silence as the last of the evening sun slowly dipped below the sand swept hills of the distant desert. As the last of the light died away, its warmth persisting still in his skin, Gaara opened his eyes.

The boy was not alone. He had been joined for the evening by perhaps a hundred others willing to share the sunset with him. The young man stood with a sigh, stretching his perhaps overly relaxed muscles back into some semblance of wakefulness. Glancing around the balcony, by this point commonly renamed 'The cuddle pavilion,' Gaara examined the faces of the evening's cuddlers, interested to see if there were any newcomers. Nawaki was here, of course, his best friend never missed a hug, as was Matsuri, a Genin who seemed rather fond of Gaara lately. Joining them in group hug were several slum villagers, a Jonin or two and even a couple of the less insecure Chunin of the village. Gaara smiled slightly. It was good to see the village ninja were starting to take to the group hug sessions, they were very therapeutic. Gaara noted one or two newcomers and gave each of them a small smile which they, sometimes hesitantly, returned. It was good to encourage people.

No one spoke. There was no real need, it was remarkable how well people could understand one another without words after a sand village cuddle session under the sunset. Smiling softly, the varied villagers made their way through the cool evening air towards their homes, cooking dinners, doing chores, and preparing themselves for tomorrow. Gaara closed his eyes once more and breathed deeply, he never felt quite so centred as when he'd just finished a cuddle session.

"U-um…" Came a small voice from behind the boy. "Gaara?"

Gaara turned, smiling warmly at the speaker. "Yes, Matsuri? Is there something I can do for you?"

The brown haired girl went a little red, Gaara often wondered why people did that. "U-um… Yes, I-I mean no!" She stuttered, staring at the ground as though it fascinated her. Gaara wondered what could have caught her attention down there, and looked down too. If he followed her gaze, Gaara could tell that Matsuri was staring at one of the bricks that paved the balcony, specifically, a brick near halfway between the two of them. Gaara examined it intently, it seemed a wholly unremarkable brick, but Matsuri seemed to find it interesting, so he, politely, stared at it as well.

* * *

Gathering her courage, Matsuri mustered herself enough to glance up at the boy as he stood across from her. He too, was avoiding eye contact, staring at the floor determinedly. Was he just as embarrassed as she was right now? Could he actually like her back? Matsuri felt her confidence swell slightly, emboldening her. "I… I… like you." The girl said, her voice shrinking to a whisper almost immediately.

* * *

Matsuri might have been on to something, this brick truly was quite interesting. Small striations in the clay marked points where imperfections had been baked into it in the kiln, the swirling pattern they produced was, indeed, quite mesmerizing. Gaara was impressed, not only impressed, but also very surprised. How had Matsuri, a Genin, albeit a talented one, noticed such an intricate feature in the floor so readily? This was a mystery to be unraveled. He heard the girl speak, but her voice was so quiet that he couldn't make out the words. "I'm sorry, Matsuri," the boy said politely, still staring intently at the brick. "I'm afraid I didn't quite catch that, can you repeat it please?"

* * *

Matsuri gathered her courage. _It's fine,_ she promised herself. _Gaara's clearly nervous too, that's gotta mean he likes you back! Go for it._

"I… Like you, Gaara," she said again, this time somewhat more audibly.

"I like you too, Matsuri." Came the quiet response, after some hesitation, the boy still refusing to meet her gaze. Inside herself, Matsuri cheered, her victory all but assured. This shy boy was hers to be proclaimed. Indeed, now that Matsuri thought about it, Gaara's shyness was really rather cute. She stepped in close, her shyness forgotten, and wrapped her arms around the boy. Hesitantly, Gaara's arms came up to wrap around her in return. Matsuri grinned. She had won this day.

* * *

Nawaki, having finished seeing off the last of the villagers, watched the scene unfold, barely restraining a strangled laugh. Matsuri had no idea just how much she had misjudged here.

* * *

"I… Like you, Gaara," the girl said quietly. The words took a few moments to work their way through Gaara's mind, his thoughts still occupied by this deeply engaging brick. Eventually, the words reached him, it was a nice sentiment, and it made Gaara smile. "I like you too, Matsuri." The boy replied. It was true enough, there was very little about the girl to dislike, she was studious and kind, and an excellent hugger. The boy continued staring at the brick, he could swear he was this close to unraveling the secret to its complexities.

Gaara's contemplations were interrupted when Matsuri hugged him. That was fine, there was always time for hugs; he could finish analysing the brick later. Gaara slowly lifted his arms and wrapped them around the girl gently, returning her embrace.

* * *

Nawaki smiled an evil smile, stepping slightly closer to the pair. He readied himself to resolve the brewing situation in three… two… one…

* * *

Matsuri had decided, it was best for her to claim her prize, announcing her victory to the world. The girl raised her face to the boy's and pressed her lips to his, perhaps more fiercely than was necessary. She wanted to make an impression.

The result was not as intended.

* * *

Gaara's eyes went wide as the girl pressed her lips to his, mashing them fiercely against one another and… sucking? Was she sucking him? What purpose did that serve? Was this an attack? It felt like an attack. Gaara panicked. "Mmmphmrmr!" He articulated as best as he was capable, struggling weakly to break away. The girl, mercifully, released him after a few seconds. She was smiling, a smile that terrified him to his very soul.

He glanced fearfully across at Nawaki for help, but his friend was just standing there a few feet away, watching.

* * *

Nawaki muffled a snort behind his hand, this was better than he could possibly have hoped for.

* * *

"W-what was that?!" Gaara shrieked, an even paler shade than usual. Matsuri grinned, it looked like she'd left an impression, just as intended.

"Just staking my claim," The girl said, with a coy wink. "I wanted you to know you're mine now."

* * *

Gaara continued panicking, it seemed like the wisest choice in that moment. 'Staking my claim'? 'You're mine now'? Was this some kind of manipulation jutsu? Oh god, was he about to be forced to use his powers to hurt people again!? In desperation, Gaara turned to Nawaki, his eyes pleading. "Nawaki, please, help me."

* * *

Nawaki watched the unfortunate situation unfold. Gaara was looking at him in desperation, the girl seemed both confused and, as she gained an inkling of possible reasons for Gaara's reaction, hurt. Nawaki, try as he might, could no longer contain himself. Knowing Gaara as he did, this situation amused him too much, he dissolved into a giggle fit, holding his sides.

* * *

Gaara gazed at his friend in horror, he was in the middle of being CURSED and Nawaki chose this moment to fall to pieces? He understood that it was upsetting, even shocking, but they were ninja; this was no reason to have a nervous breakdown as Nawaki seemed to be doing.

"Nawaki, please," he tried again, utterly desperate. "Save me."

Matsuri- no, he couldn't allow himself to think of her like that any more, if he associated this ninja with the girl he cared for, who had attended so many group hugs, his innate kindness might win out and lose him the encounter. The enemy spy who had infiltrated his most sacred cuddle meetings, looked at him, her expression, confusingly, one of surprise and hurt.

"What? You didn't like it?" She asked, her voice small.

"What fould jutsu is this?" The boy replied, his voice filled with suppressed fear that he attempted to replace with venom.

"Okay, stop." Interjected Nawaki before the confused girl had any chance to respond. "Gaara, you haven't been cursed."

"How could you possibly know that?!" Gaara replied, glancing at his friend. "She did something, I know she did."

"She kissed you." Nawaki replied, shaking his head. "It's a thing people do when they like each other."

Gaara shook his head. "No. Not true, we like each other, and we never do tha-"

"Sexually like each other," Nawaki clarified before the other boy had a chance to finish.

Gaara seemed to deflate, sagging in relief. "Oh, this is a sexuality thing?"

"Yeah," Nawaki replied calmly. "It means Matsuri likes you, that's all."

"Okay," Gaara responded, taking the new information on board. It didn't make sense, but that was okay, a lot of things about 'sexuality' didn't make sense, Gaara was okay with that. He turned to the extremely confused looking Matsuri. "Sorry, but no," he said quietly, trying to sound as apologetic as possible. "Nawaki can explain because apparently I 'mess it up all the time'. Thanks, buddy." He patted his friend on the shoulder before making his exit, walking faster perhaps, than was necessary as he made his way home.

* * *

The two ninja stared at Gaara's retreating back with very different expressions on their faces. There was silence for several long seconds.

"What the hell was that!?" Matsuri screeched, confusion and indignation warring clearly across her features.

Nawaki let out a small, aggrevated sigh at his friend for abandoning him here. "Yeah… Gaara doesn't really… DO girls, you know?"

Matsuri was quiet for a very long time while she absorbed this. "Oh." The two were quiet for longer still. "Ohhh." Nawaki turned and watched the light fading into the horizon as the sun travelled further along its arc through the night. He waited for the next, inevitable question. "So," Matsuri started. "You're saying he's-"

"He doesn't like boys either." Nawaki cut her off.

The girl stood there, confused. "So… what is he?"

Nawaki shrugged. "He's Gaara."

"But… what DOES he like, then?"

Nawaki shrugged again. "He likes hugs."

* * *

In the dead of night, wrapped in the concealing red and black of Akatsuki, a lone, hunched figure slowly made his approach towards the village hidden in the sand.

The silent ninja stood atop the stone cliff that surrounded the hidden sand, looking out over his former home with the very faintest hint of nostalgia. Surprising, he hadn't thought he could still feel that.

Behind the lone figure, a single voice spoke in a quiet hiss. "Hello again, Sasori," Orochimaru murmured quietly.

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, so I started wondering what it would be like if someone asked Gaara out and this is the idea popped into my head. And yes, I made him asexual. It's practically cannon, did you notice that at the end of shippuden, he's the only one who doesn't get hitched with someone? Not only that, in his personal post-shippuden story, I'm pretty sure he goes out of his way to avoid getting hitched. Now, granted, most asexual people are far more aware of sexuality than I portrayed Gaara as being, but he's a special case.**

 **As for the cuddle circle. Because Orochimaru's in charge of the village, and because I think he'd find it funny, he basically let Gaara run rampant with his whole 'hug the world' thing. After a year, Gaara built up enough people willing to regularly supply him with hugs that he now has regular cuddle sessions. It's kind of half way between kitten therapy and a hipster cult. Both kind of creepy and slightly adorable. The people involved like it though.**


	58. Chapter 58

**AN: Hey guys. Let's do this.**

* * *

The two boys ran on through the chill night air, moving with a speed and silence such that, were they alone, they would be virtually undetectable. Unfortunately, the girl chasing them had no such stealthy inclinations at the moment. Sakura sat atop Gamabunta's head as he chased the boys, each great leap covering hundreds of meters, setting him down with a gargantuan crash among broken trees and flattened earth.

Sasuke groaned. "Look," he muttered. "I know we don't want to fight her, but our chances of getting away without being followed drops to zero with her following us. We have to deal with this."

Beside him, Naruto nodded, a grim look on his face. "Yeah, I know. If you want, I can take Sakura while you deal with the toad. I know she's your girlfriend so-"

"No," Sasuke cut him off with a tight smile. "Getting to see how much stronger she's gotten is one of the only upsides to this."

Naruto nodded, glum. "I was really hoping we wouldn't end up enemies with Sakura."

Sasuke shrugged. "Can't be helped, we can fill her in on everything once she's beaten. Hopefully, that'll make a difference."

"Yeah," Naruto agreed. "Hopefully."

Still running, the two boys began preparing techniques. Sasuke bit down on his thumb, drawing forth a small trickle of blood from his skin. "Hold em back for a second or two?" He asked.

Wordlessly, Naruto stopped running, working slowly through the requisite hand-signs. The boy allowed his power to flow down, slowly raising himself into the air. As long as he didn't tax it, the flight power should last him a while like this. Naruto twisted in midair, turning to face the charging toad. Gamabunta landed, for once, not immediately firing himself forwards once again, the great toad sat, watching the floating boy as he rose upwards, first climbing above the treeline before rising to his eye level. The boy finished his hand-signs and took a deep breath. He had never used this technique in a fight before, despite having known it since before the tournament, over a year ago. Naruto had to give Sakura credit, in all this time, she was the only person to push him far enough to use the second technique Kurama had taught him. The blonde boy smiled. _The rasengan from the father,_ he thought to himself. _And from the mother-_

It was that moment that Gamabunta chose to leap, breaking the stalemate by launching the many tonnes of his weight towards the floating child, roaring a challenge to the boy. Naruto grinned, big mistake. He pulled his arms back, both of them poised as if to throw something, before slinging them forwards to unleash his trump card towards the boss toad.

"Uzumaki style: Adamantine Sealing Chains!"

The chains did not materialize all at once, but rather, in patches, small segments of the glowing links slowly flowing into existence as they lashed themselves to Gamabunta's hide, sticking where they struck as if bound by cement. At the same time as the chains struck, Naruto launched himself to the side, moving as fast as he thought his flight would allow. The great bulk of Gamabunta missed him by only a few feet, disturbed air currents sending him cartwheeling through the sky in the titan's passing. The toad glanced down at the glowing chord binding him to the boy, not looped around him so much as stuck by the ends to his abdomen. **"What is this pathetic jutsu?"** He asked, his voice booming as he reached up to brush the chain with a massive hand. **"Do you truly mean to bind me, boy? With something so small?"** The great toad stopped talking as he tried to pull his hand away from the chain and met resistance. Gamabunta grunted, pulling harder at the link before, with a wet sound, the patch of flesh connected to the chain came away from the rest of his hand.

"Yeah," Naruto said quietly. "That's the idea." Without any further warning, the boy shot forwards, manifesting more of the chain from his hands as he began to strafe the giant, laying the chord against his skin.

Sakura, atop the beast's head, watched Naruto carefully. It didn't matter in the here and now that Naruto had manifested yet another heretofore unknown power, it didn't matter that he had a way of countering Gamabunta. All that mattered, in this moment, was her aim. As the boy shot past, layering chain after chain on Bunta's hide, she lined up the shot. Gamabunta moved to dodge, but stopped immediately when told to sit still. All she needed was a single solid hit, that was all.

"Sage art: Rock cannon."

The girl closed her eyes, allowing the energy sense her sage mode allowed her to guide her aim, before spitting the small pebble towards the boy with perfect precision. Even if Naruto had seen it, he would not have been able to dodge in time. Luckily for the blonde boy, he had brought his brother just enough time. As the rock flew towards the boy, swelling rapidly to monolithic proportions, the dark haired boy plummeted through the sky to intercept it; having dropped, luckily for him, from just outside Sakura's sensory range. Naruto lacked the time to yelp as he noticed the missile rocketing towards him, he only had time to stare in awe as Sasuke began to glow. The dark haired boy began to radiate a dim purple as he fell through the air, drawing back his arm as if to punch, before driving it forwards. The ghostly rib-cage faded into existence around Sasuke once more, but there was more of it this time. The bones of a human arm, magnified to gigantic proportions, mirrored the motion of Sasuke's punch, driving into the boulder with a titanic crash, forcing it into the ground. Sasuke, for his part, shot into the sky, propelled upwards by that selfsame punch, his Susanoo fading as he let it fall back into the void. High in the air, Sasuke's upward momentum began to slow, before all too soon, he was falling. The boy crossed his arms and sighed. "You gonna catch me or what?" He asked, irritated.

 **"I really had to think about it, you know?"** The great raven squawked. Diving through the empty air and scooping the boy up in its talons. **"You and your brother are very ungrateful, after all."**

"I hate summoning you," Sasuke groaned. "Just get me to the other two."

Naruto, despite the shock, didn't waste a moment, binding his chain around the great toad in huge loops as he strafed around it. Gamabunta growled as the boy bound his legs. **"You'll regret this, I promise you, boy."** Naruto ignored him, focusing instead on Sakura. If the last fight was anything to go by, the girl would need a few seconds to charge before firing another jutsu, he had to finish binding Gamabunta by then.

Right on time, Sakura began making another set of hand-signs. Naruto broke away, letting the chains disconnect from his palms. Annoyingly, he had only managed a few loops of chains around the great toad, but even that should be enough to hamper Gamabunta's movements for the time being.

The boy didn't feel like waiting to see what his teammate had in store for him this time. He extended a hand, palm out, using his rinnegan to fire another shock-wave out towards the girl. Sakura seemed to have seen it coming and, as the blast caught her, adjusted her aim as she spat out another small collection of pellets towards the boy, pellets that once more grew to the size of boulders. Naruto grunted in frustration, Sakura, either knowingly or unknowingly, had let him spend the technique with which he might have blocked such an attack on his failed attempt at her. It wouldn't recharge for another seven or so seconds, at least; and this attack was spread too wide for him to dodge. Gritting his teeth, Naruto brought his hands together towards the oncoming boulders, angling himself in the air so that his body lay covered by the shadow of his hands as he summoned his rasengan. Holding it before him like a shield. This was probably going to hurt.

The boulder struck his improvised shield with a grating roar that sent impacts juddering up the lengths of his arms. For a single moment, boy and boulder hung in the air, each straining against the other, before, with a colossal crack that echoed through Naruto's entire body, the boulder split apart, the two halves passing on either side of the boy, each showering him with a cutting spray of debris. Panting, the boy took a moment to survey the damage. One arm, his left, was pretty definitely broken, the other was less certain, although he was quite sure it was at least dislocated. Small cuts spread across the entirety of his body and he had more than a couple shards of stone embedded in his skin. Gingerly, the boy lowered himself to the ground, grunting in pain as he forced his one debatably good arm back into alignment.

* * *

Sakura struck the treeline hard, a minor concern really. She had held back a small portion of her sage chakra for use in a transformation, and took the impact in her ball form. Transforming back, Sakura began replenishing her chakra, taking a moment to survey her surroundings. She wasn't sure if she had managed to hit Naruto with that last attack, Gamabunta was blocking her view and that shock-wave jutsu of his was frustratingly effective; but she knew that, at the very least, she was beginning to wear the boys down. Sakura grinned, for her part, she was still unscathed and, what was more, she hadn't even touched her own chakra supply, having managed to work completely with sage chakra thus far.

As the sage mode replenished itself, Sakura once more began to sense the chakra of her surroundings. That was the only reason she managed to dodge when Sasuke struck, coming at her from behind with a speed to rival Hinata's baseline. Even with her advantage, the girl barely evaded the first blow, ducking to the side as her erstwhile boyfriend passed bodily through the space she should have occupied. He landed in a crouch and rose, turning to face her.

"Hey Sakura," the boy said quietly, a mournful note in his voice.

"Hey Sasuke," the girl echoed him, trying as best she could to keep her own sadness in check.

"So," Sasuke started, going a little red. "A-about… about us-"

"Save it," Sakura shook her head. "We can talk about 'us' after I drag you back to the village."

Sasuke hesitated, then allowed himself a small laugh. "You know, it's really cute that you think you could take me in a fight."

The girl spread her arms wide, giving the boy a cocky smile. "Look at me. I don't even have a scratch from fighting you two yet. I'm WINNING, Sasuke."

The dark haired boy chuckled. "Yeah, well, you haven't fought ME yet." The boy lunged, sharingan blazing brightly in the dim moonlight.

Sakura, for her part, was ready.

* * *

Groaning slightly, the blonde boy limped towards the struggling form of Gamabunta, the boss toad growling in greater and greater frustration as he tried to work around his bonds.

"Hey, big guy," Naruto spoke, as loudly as he could without causing himself pain. "Down here."

The enormous creature's movements stilled momentarily as a single great eye drifted down to gaze at him. Eventually, the massive toad spoke, its voice unusually quiet as it spoke through lips bound together by a stray length of chain. **"What do you want, whelp?"** For a moment, Naruto was impressed, he had never heard someone sound both angry and dismissive at the same time, but the toad had just given him a prime example.

"I want you to un-summon yourself," the boy replied quietly. "You're getting in my way here and keeping you bound is costing me chakra."

The toad snorted. **"Then all the more reason for me to stay here, shrimp. I'm helping boss Sakura just by being tied up here."**

Naruto nodded agreeably. "Admittedly, you are doing damage just by existing right now. But here's the thing. I don't want to get close to Sakura the way I am right now, and that means I should fight her at range. So unless you disappear, I might just throw you at her."

The massive toad let out a short laugh. **"Boy, that's either the funniest joke I've heard all day or the stupidest boast I've heard all year. There's no chance a tiny little shrimp like you could throw a magnificent to-"**

Naruto extended a hand, having positioned himself so that the great toad sat between himself and where he guessed Sakura to be at that moment. Naruto didn't know himself what was about to happen, he had never tried using his pushing powers on something as big as Gamabunta before. He wasn't a hundred percent sure it would even work.

Naruto let the force travel out of his hand in an enormous heave grunting with the effort of it as, with a very uncharacteristic squeal, Gamabunta began to move; crushing the trees beneath him as he began to roll across the forest floor, picking up speed.

* * *

The two young combatants stopped mid strike, both glancing up at the sound, an ominous rumbling coming from the rough direction of Gamabunta's body.

"What was that?" Sasuke asked of no one in particular before, quite suddenly, several nearby trees collapsed, forced to the ground under the weight of an immobile titan.

The two children spared one another a single, wide eyed glance before, by unspoken agreement, they began to run.

 **AN: Hey guys, not much to say here at the moment. Yeah, my updates have slowed, like I said they would. Thanks for being cool about that. Thanks for reading, hope you liked it. Feel free to leave a review if you have something to say. Bye!**


	59. Chapter 59

**AN: Hi guys! Been a while, huh? So, yeah, I had a lot of stuff to get out of the way and also to prepare for. As a matter of fact, I still do. My schedule is much lighter than it has been, though, so I can once again perform the occasional update. Be forewarned, though, I will likely not be doing daily updates again for a little while yet, at least. All that said, on with the fic!**

The two young ninja ran, neck and neck with one another as they bolted in a flat sprint, the yelping gargantuan that was Gamabunta hot on their heels as he rolled, building speed at an alarming rate. Sasuke considered changing course, running to the side to avoid the colossal boulder of a toad, but no, the creature would flatten him before he made it outside of its path, and he couldn't afford to lose the forward momentum. He forced the idea from his mind and kept running.

The toad was gaining, the crunching of flattened trees drawing closer and closer by the moment. Sasuke glanced across at Sakura, running only a short distance from him. Her face was drawn tight with panic, yet her eyes, those beautiful eyes, were strangely determined. Whatever Sasuke did, there was one thing he had to make sure of. He had to keep Sakura safe.

The pink haired girl began making handsigns as she ran mumbling something quietly under her breath. Sasuke did not waste time wondering what the girl might be trying. There was a far more pressing issue at hand. Whatever Sakura was doing, it seemed to be draining her. As the boy watched, the strange orange markings began to fade from around Sakura's eyes, her speed dropping markedly as the unknown jutsu took its toll. Sasuke glanced back, the toad was nearly on top of them and Sakura, lacking that strange power she'd been using and too busy with her jutsu to transform in time, would surely be crushed. He would not let that happen.

The boy wasted no time, letting his path converge with a tree and running up its bough a short way, letting his forward momentum push him down against the bark in a crouch, before propelling himself outwards with all the force he could muster, launching himself at the girl. He wrapped his arms around her just in time, summoning his Susanoo up around them both to defend against the crushing weight.

Gamabunta's side struck the ethereal rib cage for the briefest of moments, pressing hard enough to leave a deep indentation in the ground where Susanoo was forced down into the forest floor. Sasuke gritted his teeth, straining with the effort and pain of keeping the defense active against Gamabunta's tremendous scale. He felt himself begin to slip, Susanoo fading quickly out of existence.

Just as the gargantuan wall of solid flesh was about to strike the pair, mere inches away, Sakura's jutsu finally took effect. The toad vanished in a plume of smoke huge enough to once again blanket the entire area.

Under the all concealing cover, Sasuke gripped the other ninja shakily, palpable relief flooding through him. Sakura was the first to speak, her voice oddly shaky. "S-Sasuke," She mumbled quietly. "D-did you just… try to save me?"

Unseen by the girl, Sasuke blushed, suddenly very thankful for the concealing smog. "M-maybe," he replied awkwardly, a hand reaching behind his head in embarrassment. "I-I mean, you are still… you know… important to me."

With his sharingan, Sasuke was just barely able to make out the girl laying on top of him. He saw her blushing, saw her slightly embarrassed smile and, more importantly, saw the knife she was readying, impressively quietly. "Aww, Sasuke, that's so sweet. You know I still care about you too, right?"

Sasuke sighed, reaching down into his pouch and producing a small needle, laced with heavy sedatives. "Yeah, I know…" He said quietly. "Which is why I'm really sorry for this." He jabbed the short needle down into the girl's leg in one short motion, eliciting a very small gasp of pain from her.

As the fog began to clear, Sakura gazed up at her erstwhile boyfriend accusingly. "Did you just sedate me?"

"… Maybe."

"… You dick." The girl pouted angrily at Sasuke for a moment, before her muscles gave out and her body collapsed forward against his.

Slightly stiffly, Sasuke stood, his unconscious girlfriend slung unceremoniously across his back. He hoped to god she'd forgive him for this. Moving slowly, he began to make his way back through the flattened section of forest in the direction of where he'd last seen Naruto. As the boy walked, he couldn't help but feel a sense of pride at his estranged girlfriend's development. He was not too proud to admit that, had he not had Naruto backing him up, the girl likely would have beaten him, although he'd never admit that to her as long as he lived.

Sasuke found Naruto a short way from the point where the trees had started flattening. The blonde boy was not looking well, crouched on the ground and panting, one arm clearly broken, hanging at several odd angles along its length. Sasuke winced in sympathy as he approached. "Hey, you doing okay?" He asked, crouching down to examine his brother.

"Y-yeah…" Naruto mumbled, eyes half lidded as he pushed himself shakily to his feet, swaying once or twice before finding his balance. "Just... pushed my powers a bit too far. W-we won, right? Sakura's down?"

"Yeah," Sasuke reassured, adjusting the girl's position on his back slightly. "We won… Dear god she's tough though."

Naruto nodded shakily. "Y-yeah, Sakura's terrifying now. Go figure."

"Hinata too," Sasuke agreed, placing his free arm under his brother's shoulder and helping him walk slowly towards the edge of the treeline. "To be honest, it's starting to look like you had the right idea going out with Haku. She's way less scary."

Naruto chuckled quietly, a chuckle that was cut short by a mild coughing fit. "Ahhh… please don't make me laugh, Sasuke, it kinda hurts. Didn't you hear? Haku went off and spent a year training with some old masters or something in the hidden rain village. She's probably terrifying by now, too."

"Wow," Sasuke chuckled. "We sure do know how to pick em, huh, Naruto?"

The blonde boy grinned. "Honestly, I'm starting to think maybe we might be the problem. Everyone around us seems to get superpowers. Why is that Sasuke?"

"Because we're special little star children," Sasuke quipped mildly. "Now shush up. I'm gonna summon one of my birds to get us back to the wave village. I don't wanna have to carry the two of you the whole way."

Naruto shook his head slightly. "S-sorry Sasuke," he mumbled apologetically. "I'm not going to the wave. I'm heading to the rain to find Haku. There were some… some things I needed to talk to her about."

Sasuke groaned. "Naruto, you're my brother and I love you, but please don't make me tranquilize you too."

Naruto glanced across at Sakura's unconscious form. "Oh wow, you tranquilized her? She's gonna be pissed."

Sasuke let out another, longer groan. "I know, I know! But she didn't give me any choice, okay? She was getting ready to put a knife to my throat."

Naruto grinned. "Doesn't matter, she's still gonna be pissed." Sasuke grumbled quietly to himself as the two walked, finally making their way out of the treeline. Eventually, Naruto continued. "Look, Sasuke, we can't go to the wave right now. It's way too obvious. With Sakura chasing us all this way, we've left an arrow of destruction pointing right at the wave village." He gestured back towards the flattened trees. "Our trail is so big it could be drawn on a map! It way makes more sense right now for us to go and get Haku, then wait for all this to blow over before we go back, okay?"

Sasuke considered this for a long moment before finally grumbling his assent. "Okay, okay, fine." He muttered angrily. "But don't pretend this is about anything more than wanting to go see your girlfriend."

Naruto shot his brother an annoyed look. "This from the guy who's literally carrying his girlfriend unconscious on his shoulder."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sasuke asked, offended. "You make me sound like a bad guy."

Naruto shrugged. "Well, you are, you know, kinda kidnapping someone right now, if you think about it."

Sasuke shook his head, aggravated. "I liked you better when you were in a different village, Naruto. Now shut up, I have a douche-bag bird to deal with." The boy scanned the sky with his sharingan, looking for the telltale shadow against the darkness. "Where is that feathery git? I summoned him for the Gamabunta fight. Should have known he wouldn't hang around."

 ** _"I wouldn't, would I?"_** Came a voice that sounded half speech and half nails on chalkboard. **_"You really are most ungrateful, young master Uchiha. Remember how I saved you from plummeting to your death earlier?"_** The bird dropped from the sky towards them, arresting its momentum and fluttering to a halt on the ground some feet away.

Sasuke groaned. "Shut up, please. I am way too tired for you right now. Just give the three of us a lift to the hidden rain, alright? We need an evac and I'm the only one who can still walk fine."

The bird eyed the three of them piercingly for a time, before letting out a high pitched little chuckle. **_"Fine, but I expect a little respect in future, little brat."_**

Sasuke stepped forward, helping Naruto up onto the bird's back and ensuring Sakura was held gently but firmly in its talons before jumping up to take his seat at its neck. "You'd get more respect if you helped out more, you know," he muttered quietly as the bird rose into the sky, heading slowly west in the first light of early morning sun.

 **AN: Thanks for reading. I hope you liked it. While I was writing this, I realized that it's been a little while and I might take a chapter or two to get used to the feel of the story again. As always, feel free to review or favorite if you liked it.**

 **PS: As before, I am still looking for one or two people willing to help take a look at my original story for me because an extra eye or two pre-publication would be really handy. Thanks, Obvious Pseudonym out.**


	60. Chapter 60

**AN: Hey guys, been a while. Sorry, I stopped for a while there. I would say that I'm going to pick up my schedule again, as that is indeed the plan, but the fact is that I'm not %100 sure that it's going to turn out like that. So uhh... here's hoping. Anyways, enjoy the chapter and feel free to review if you liked it. Bye!**

* * *

 **Haku:**

"You sure you're ready for this?" The figure next to Haku asked, the concern evident in his tone. "We can always hold off until later, you know."

Haku smiled up at her teacher reassuringly. "I'll be fine, Nagato, I promise." The redhead did not seem reassured, but obligingly stepped back a little, allowing Haku some room to work. Her teacher was such a mother hen sometimes. Haku raised her hands to the hood of her thick, water resistant coat, and pulled it down, allowing the perpetual downfall that coated the land of rain to hit her. She leaned her head back slightly, eyes drifting closed to allow the water to play across her face. The sensation was always a relaxing one. Haku used it to center herself, taking a deep breath before making the first set of hand signs. She began to channel her chakra.

"Wind Style: Great Shockwave Jutsu."

The blast of air fired out from Haku in every direction, the force of it pushing Nagato back a few paces and causing some in the watching crowd to stumble. There was a momentary lull in the rain as the air caught the falling droplets and pushed them back upwards towards the ever present clouds, each drop splitting into a hundred smaller ones from the force of it. Haku took a deep breath, that had been more tiring than she had expected, but not so much so that she couldn't continue. She began working on the second set of hand signs, her focus unbroken.

"Ice style: Winter Morn."

All around her, Haku felt the air begin to cool, whatever warmth the water usually trapped in the sodden land leeching out of it rapidly. Haku shifted slightly, moving her focus upwards toward the cloud of airborne water above her, and the darker, heavier rainclouds above that. She gave a mental push, extending her field of cold upwards into the sky, further and further until finally, she hit the clouds above. Haku felt a single small bead of moisture tracing its way down her brow, but pretended not to notice. She didn't like the idea that this was enough to make her sweat. Haku held the field of cold above herself as long as she could, seconds stretching into minutes before, finally, the first snowflakes began to drift slowly down towards the waiting crowd. Haku felt a hand on her shoulder, trying to ignore it as she kept her focus steadily on maintaining the jutsu.

"Well then Haku," Nagato asked softly. "How does it feel knowing you're strong enough to change the weather?"

Another small bead of sweat slowly began to build on Haku's forehead, sliding down into her hair as she tilted her face upwards towards the sky. "It feels like... like it's nearly enough," she admitted, with some difficulty. The jutsu was still drawing most of her attention.

"Nearly enough?" Nagato asked, grinning. "Less than half a percent of even adult ninja can maintain a jutsu of this level, let alone invent one. Are you saying that's still not enough?"

Haku felt the first of the snowflakes touch her face, the coolness of it glorious to her, bringing forth some warm, half remembered thoughts from her childhood. She let her hands fall to her sides, panting slightly. "Yeah, that's pretty much what I'm saying. So, what's next?" She shot her teacher a smile.

The older man chuckled, shaking his head a little. "I guess I'll have to ask the others about that," he murmured. "How do you feel about experimental surgery?"

Haku shrugged. "Sure, if it helps. What's the plan?"

Nagato gave her a deadpan look, one eyebrow ever so slightly raised. "That was a joke, Haku."

"Oh," the girl back-pedaled a little. "I knew that."

"Sure you did," the older man shook his head slightly, a small frown touching his face. "I worry about you sometimes, Haku. I really do."

Haku groaned, letting her shoulders slump a little, and folded her arms. "Do you ever do anything else?" She asked, irritably, before stomping off through the rapidly building snow, towards the entrance to the village complex. Nagato was a nice man, Haku knew and, at times like these, tried to remind herself, but the man tended to worry far too much sometimes. Haku had recently begun to find the man's occasional cautions towards her outlook somewhat galling.

Before she reached the door, picking his way between villagers eagerly enjoying their first experience with snow, Haku heard her teacher's voice echoing through towards her. "Just how strong do you need to get for this Naruto boy anyway?"

Haku rolled her eyes, before shouting back over her shoulder. "As strong as I can, okay?"

* * *

 **Team 7:**

"Look, I know I'm new here," Sakura muttered through teeth held tight against the cold. "But isn't the land of rain supposed to have, you know, rain?"

Naruto shrugged, the girl had been nothing but snide ever since she woke up, understandably furious with Sasuke for sedating her, and not even mildly placated by Naruto and Sasuke's promises to explain when they found Haku. She'd been fuming for the last two straight days. "Maybe it's winter here, Sakura, I don't know."

To be fair, it was not just Sakura at this point who was getting annoyed. The three of them had been standing outside the colossal metal wall of the supposed hidden rain village for nearly half an hour now, and the chill was getting to them. Naruto rubbed his shoulder, wincing. The bones had only partially healed, and the cold was doing him no favors in that regard.

"Maybe I should knock," Sasuke said quietly.

"You think they'd even hear it?" Sakura asked, exasperated.

Sasuke grinned. "The way I knock? Sure they would." He shifted an arm back, the ghostly purple form of his susanoo fading into existence around him, just a few ribs and a single arm for now. As the boy flexed back, the massive arm mirrored him, before slamming forwards, palm open, to strike against the metal wall with a clang that sent echoes ringing out for miles around. "I think they heard that," Sasuke grinned.

The response was not immediate. One minute passed, then two, long enough that the three once more began to wonder whether anyone was even home. Then, just as Sasuke was about to knock again, a single hooded figure appeared atop the high wall.

The figure stared at them, they stared back, the stalemate interrupted only by the chattering of teeth as the children tried and failed to warm themselves. Eventually, Naruto broke the silence.

"Uhh... Hi," he called out, his voice as clear and loud as he could make it.

"Leave, now," the figure replied, without hesitation, their voice a cold monotone. "The hidden rain brooks no tresspass. This is your only warning, children."

"Wow, rude." Sakura muttered, rubbing her shoulders and glaring up at the figure. Naruto had to agree, just a little.

"I uhh... I understand that." He called back, trying for diplomacy. "But I was told you had a friend of mine here? Haku Yuki?"

The hooded figure didn't respond, disappearing once more after just a few moments.

The three young ninja stood in silence for a few seconds, gazing up at the empty space where the figure once stood. "Way to go, Naruto," Sakura said icily. "Really showing those people skills."

"Shut up, Sakura," The boy groaned, too cold to want to fight.

The three of them stood, hunched over for warmth, for a few more minutes, before Sasuke gave up. "Oh, screw this," he grumbled. "I'm making a fire."

* * *

 **Shachi:**

"I just don't get what his problem is with helping me get stronger," Haku grumbled, falling back into her bed with a small 'flumpf' noise. "I mean, isn't that the whole point of me being here with them?"

"Totally," Shachi agreed, without hesitation, following Haku into her room, two fresh cups of hot tea in hand. "I know it's hard when people don't understand how you feel." He offered the girl one of the cups, which Haku took gratefully.

"I know, right?" The pale girl groaned, taking a sip of her drink. "Oh, wow, yeah. The tea makes the cold way better. Thanks, Shachi." Haku smiled in that adorable way of hers, and Shachi thanked the cold outside for painting his cheeks red enough that his blush went unnoticed. "So," Haku continued, pulling up into a sitting position on the bed and huddling herself up around her teacup. "What's going on in your life, Shachi? You made any progress with that girl you like?"

Shachi sat down on the chair across from the bed, and groaned. "Not really. She still has no idea I like her. It's kinda frustrating." Shachi tried to make the statement a hint, holding eye contact with Haku the entire time.

Haku laughed obliviously. "Well, sometimes people can be kinda dumb about that sort of stuff, you know? I think you should just tell her, finally bring things to a head instead of, you know, mooning over her for, what, six months now?"

"Seven," Shachi groaned, slumping against the frame of his chair dejectedly. "And I know I should tell her, but... what if she doesn't like me back?"

Haku laughed musically, that perfect smile once more gracing her delicate features. "Oh, come on, Shachi! Who wouldn't like you? You're one of the nicest guys I know, kinda cute, too."

Shachi blushed even harder. "Y-you really think so?"

Haku chuckled. "Oh yeah, you're at least a seven, maybe even an eight on the cute boy scale. Whoever this person is, I'm sure they'll like you back. It's practically a guarantee."

Shachi felt his heart begin to beat harder, a telltale fluttering in his breath. Was this panic? Was this what panicking felt like?

"Shachi? You okay buddy?" Haku's face was pinched with concern. "You look a little uhh... elavated."

"Y-yeah... I'm f-fine," Shachi replied slowly. "Y-you really think I should then? T-tell her how I f-feel, I mean."

"Absolutely," Haku grinned. "And when they say they like you back, introduce me. I wanna meet this girl, whoever she is."

"O-okay," Shachi mumbled quietly, his face a bright red behind his chair. He began trying to work up the courage, to just tell Haku how he felt. It should be easy, there was no reason not do it. Haku herself had said he was cute. _'Just do it, Shachi!'_

"H-Haku," Shachi started, his voice breaking, before he shook his head to clear it, and started again, his voice firmer now. "Haku, I-"

A knock sounded at the door.

"Oh," Haku muttered. "Sorry Shachi, hold that thought, I totally wanna hear it. I just wanna see who that is."

The moment Haku left, Shachi deflated somewhat. Had he really been about to do that? For some reason, he felt an overwhelming sense of pride, mixed with no small degree of embarrassment at himself. Shachi made a promise to himself. When Haku got back, he'd tell her for sure. Shachi grinned, a firm, prideful thing, feeling like he was on top of the world.

There was a quiet yelp from the other room, and Shachi glanced at the open door as Haku hurriedly ran back inside the small bedroom, picking up her folded coat and draping it once more over her slender form. Shachi took his chance. "Haku, I-"

"Sorry, Shachi," Haku interrupted, tugging on her rainboots rapidly before heading for the front door, the confused boy following after her. "I just heard my boyfriend's here. Can we talk later? I totally want to hear more about this." Something inside Shachi cracked a little, a hairline fracture in his soul.

"Y-yeah, sure," the boy replied, numbly. "That's fine with me."

Haku pulled Shachi into a tight hug, her head resting gently on the boy's chest. "Thanks Shachi," she said quietly. "You're a good friend." With that, Haku dashed from the room, making her way towards the village entrance and leaving Shachi to his grief.

* * *

 **AN: I know I once made Naruto burn off his own tastebuds with a hot knife, but I think that right there may be the most brutal thing I've ever done to a character.**


	61. Chapter 61

**AN: Alright, let's do this! Warning. This might get a bit dark.**

* * *

 **Haku:**

The girl made her way out of the village enclosure in a hurry, stepping out into the snow and moving towards the high wall as fast as she could. About halfway towards it stood Nagato, gazing at her.

"So," the redhead called out as his student approached. "I finally get to meet this Naruto boy you've been working so hard for. He'd better be worth it, Haku." For some reason, Haku heard a hard note in her teacher's voice.

"Of course he is," The pale girl responded, moving over to her master's side. "Why wouldn't he be?"

Nagato let out a dark chuckle. "No reason. I just hope he has some way of justifying the degree of control he has over you."

Haku glowered at her teacher. "Look, Nagato, what we have works for us. Stop trying to invent problems where they don't exist." With that, the girl turned towards the gate, flipping her hood up to obscure her face as she peered down at the small group below.

* * *

 **Naruto:**

"How much longer do you think we'll have to wait?" Sasuke asked, stoking the small fire with a stick as he gazed into it.

"Dunno," Naruto replied, surprisingly calm. "Just think of it this way, Kakashi's constant lateness trained us well for this."

Sasuke groaned. Sakura, on the other hand, chuckled. "What, you think that was intentional?"

"Nah, I think our teacher was a lazy gi-" Naruto stopped mid sentence, his attention caught by the emergence of a figure atop the wall. Whether it was the same one as before was hard to tell from this distance. Although, this one seemed a tad shorter than the last.

"Hello?" Naruto called up to the figure, deciding he may as well try, even if they didn't respond.

Naruto watched as, in silence, a second figure, clad in identical, body concealing robes, emerged beside the first. No response was forthcoming from either of them.

* * *

 **Haku:**

"So you're sure it's him?" Nagato asked quietly. "That's definitely Naruto?"

"Yeah," Haku grinned, her eyes lighting up with excitement. "That's definitely Naruto." The girl let out a quiet giggle as an evil little idea struck her. It was a mean idea, and a cruel trick, but she'd only get the chance surprise the others with it once. "Hey," she whispered to Nagato. "Would you mind pulling Naruto up here? I kinda want to freak him out a little."

Nagato chuckled. "Yeah, I kinda want to freak him out too."

* * *

 **Naruto:**

Naruto watched apprehensively as the two figures spoke quietly to one another, before turning as one to face him. The taller of the two raised an arm, palm outwards, pointing it at Naruto. The boy let out a little yelp as he felt the eerily familiar power take hold of him, pulling him up off the ground towards the high wall. Sasuke and Sakura moved to grab him just a moment too late and the blonde drifted rapidly upwards towards the suddenly far more ominous pair. Naruto didn't like this. He decided to put an end to it. Summoning his power, Naruto directed the force outwards, pushing himself back down towards the earth. His ascent halted, but he did not return to the ground. Naruto pushed harder with his power, trying to force himself back down to the ground with all the might he thought his Rinnegan could muster. As he did so, the boy felt the pulling force grow stronger to match him. The boy hung there, weightless. Suspended in a strange tug of war with his unknown adversary. Whoever this person was, they were strong. Naruto began to feel fear.

* * *

 **Haku:**

"Why'd you stop halfway?" Haku asked, confused. "I thought you were just gonna bring him up here."

"I was," Nagato responded, his voice oddly strained. "Something's... resisting me. What the hell is this kid?"

Haku watched, astounded, as a few small beads of sweat slowly broke out on Nagato's face, trickling slowly down his skin. In all her time with the rain village, Haku had never seen Nagato straining against something. Haku gazed back down at Naruto's suspended form, one eyebrow cocked. "I guess he got stronger too, then." The girl mused, smiling. "Good. I'd be a little disappointed if he hadn't."

* * *

 **Naruto:**

"Hey, Naruto," Sasuke called from below, sounding concerned. "You okay up there? You need a hand?"

"Yeah, I-I'm good," Naruto replied after a second, a little shaken. "I-I think so, at least. I'll handle this." He turned his face back towards the figures atop the wall, forcing his apprehension down and allowing some of his annoyance and more than a little anger to leak into his voice as he spoke. "I don't know who you are or how you're doing this, but I want you to stop now, it clearly isn't working. Let me down."

After a few moments, Naruto felt the force pulling at him begin to lessen. He felt himself begin to move down towards the ground, his own power now pushing against nothing, before he righted himself, floating suspended in the air. "Thank you," he called, trying his best to remain polite. "Now, I'm coming up so we can talk like grown ups, okay?"

"Is he calling me immature?" The taller figure muttered, sounding annoyed.

The shorter figure giggled. "Yeah, I think he is. It's okay, Naruto," they called out in a voice that sounded strangely familiar. "Come on up, I've missed you!"

Naruto recognized that voice. He felt a wide grin slowly work its way across his face as the knowledge struck home. He turned towards the smaller figure and expressed his power outwards, firing himself towards them like a bullet, squeezing his eyes shut to hide his rinnegan as he swept his giggling girlfriend up into a tight aerial hug, before slowly lowering them both to stand atop the wall and forcing his eyes to return to normal before opening them once more.

"Hey there, Haku," Naruto murmured quietly, pulling back to get a better look at the pale, hooded girl. "I missed you too, you know?"

Haku nodded, her eyes shining as they gazed at the blonde boy. "You got taller," she murmured, eyes traveling up and down Naruto's form.

Naruto chuckled. "And you didn't," he replied playfully.

Haku puffed out her cheeks angrily, lips tightening into a pout. "Thanks for that. Meanie."

That only made Naruto laugh harder. "What's wrong with being short?" He asked. "I like you pocket sized."

Haku's response came out as an unintelligible angry grumble as Naruto pulled her once more into a tight hug.

The moment was broken by the loud clearing of a nearby throat. "Ahem," said the other figure none too subtly, drawing Naruto's attention to them as they pulled down their hood. "Young man, I think we need to have a word or two about your relationship with my student."

Naruto didn't answer immediately, his attention drawn by the man's eyes, which were the same deep, patterned purple of his own rinnegan. Taken somewhat aback by this, Naruto was only brought back down to earth by Haku's angry retort. "For the last time, Nagato! There's nothing wrong with our relationship!"

Naruto snorted at that, in spite of himself, looking back towards the girl pressed against him. "I'm sorry to say it, Haku, but yeah. I think there's a lot wrong with our relationship." He turned his gaze back towards the stranger, Nagato, apparently, and gave his own reply. "And yeah, we probably do need to have a word about it, but I need to talk to Haku first, because apparently, there's some really unhealthy stuff going on that we need to fix, okay?"

Whatever the redhead had been expecting, it apparently hadn't been that. "Uhh... O-okay... I... I'm glad we agree on that?" The man floundered slightly, apparently on a back foot now that he couldn't rely anymore on stern disapproval.

"N-Naruto," Haku whispered, drawing the blonde's attention back to her. "What's wrong... Why do you think our relationship's unhealthy? Did I do something wrong?" As she spoke, the pale girl seemed to be trying to pull herself even tighter against Naruto, hiding herself against him.

Naruto sighed, trying to gather his thoughts enough to answer. "Because... God damn it," he groaned, lifting a hand to Haku's hair and rubbing her head in an effort to reassure the girl in some small way. "Look, I don't think you did anything wrong. I think you care about me and want me to be happy, just like I want you to be. But... I-I think you're trying to make me into something I don't want to be."

Huddled against his chest, Naruto felt the dark haired girl nod against him, before asking, in a quavering voice "What don't you want to be?"

Naruto wracked his brain for the best way to phrase it, desperately trying to think of ways not to hurt her, before eventually, in a pained voice, he replied. "I... I don't want to be your master, Haku... And I think that's what you're trying to make me. I'm... I'm not Zabuza."

Haku's fist caught Naruto hard in the cheek, knocking the two of them apart and sending him sprawling. "So, what?" The pale girl asked angrily, moisture trickling down from her eyes. "You don't have a use for me any more? You want me gone? Is that it?"

Naruto rubbed his cheek absently, checking a few of his teeth with his tongue, before he answered. "That's not it at all, Haku. I never wanted to be with you because I thought you were useful, it was never because I wanted something from you. I wanted to be with you because you made me happy!" He had tried to stay calm, to keep his head if possible, but Haku's assertion had got to him, made him angry. Naruto wound up shouting the last words despite himself, wiping a fist across his face to clear his eyes.

"That doesn't make any sense!" Haku shouted, her voice hoarse with emotion. "How could someone want me if I didn't have something to offer them? There'd be no point to it! So what was it, huh? What did you want from me? Was it my skills? Was it my body? What?" The girl was crying unrestrainedly now, almost begging. "What do you want from me, Naruto? I'll do it, you know I will!"

"I wanted to make you happy!" The blonde boy shouted back. "And I hoped you could make me happy back! Just by us, you and me, being together! That's all I wanted, Haku! It still is!"

The shorter figure went still, her breaths catching occasionally as she stared, wide eyed, at the blonde opposite. Eventually, in a voice barely above a whisper, Haku spoke. "That doesn't make any sense." With that, Haku ran, moving through the snow faster than Naruto could hope to match, back into the confines of the village.

All was silent for a time. Naruto sat hunched over on the cold metal floor, the gentle snow slowly building up to cover him.

"Well," Nagato spoke from nearby. "I know that was probably hard, but I'm very glad you're the kind of person who knew it had to happen. You're a better person than I thought, Naruto." The boy ignored him, staring unseeing at the snow slowly building on his feet. Nagato sighed quietly. "Well, I'm gonna go let your friends up and get them warmed up a little. Come on inside when you're feeling a little better, okay?"

Naruto nodded mechanically, trying to hold the tears back from his eyes long enough for the man to just leave. His teammates were brought up in short order, each laying a comforting hand on his shoulder as they passed. So they'd heard that, huh? The thought didn't make Naruto feel any better. Soon enough, the boy was left alone in the building snow. When he was sure they were gone, the boy finally allowed the tears to flow once more, burying his head in his hands.

* * *

 **Haku:**

The girl ran back to her apartment as fast as her legs would carry her, paying no heed to the confused form of Shachi still standing by the doorway. Haku moved to her bedroom, removing her cold rain gear more out of programmed habit than any conscious thought. Haku hugged herself tightly, the pressure helping to center her in some small way. She felt faint. She felt wrong. Naruto wanted her, but Naruto had no use for her. It made no sense. It didn't feel right. It didn't feel safe. The girl felt a frantic impulse to gag, a wooziness taking hold of her for a spell. She wretched, dropping to her hands and knees on the floor, but nothing came up, no expulsion of matter to at least reassure her that the sickness was outside of her now. She gagged again, tears flowing freely down her face. It made no sense. How could she be wanted, without being useful? It was all wrong.

"H-Haku?" Shachi's nervous voice came quietly from the doorway. "H-hey, are you okay? W-what's wrong?"

Haku ignored the boy, too out of her own head to even notice his presence. It was all too much right now. She needed to make everything smaller, needed to make it go away. Her gaze roamed manically around the room, alighting upon a nook, a tiny little space where she might find refuge. The girl stood, shaking, and moved to the window, jerkily throwing the curtains closed and plunging the room into darkness. Then, she moved to the tiny space between her bed side table and the wall, crawling on all fours into it. The space was small and cramped, she had to force her way inside, wedging her small frame between the two solid surfaces. The pressure helped, a little, made the rest of the world a little easier to forget. Haku curled herself into a ball, wrapping her arms around herself and squeezing with all her might. Whatever light still crept into the room was yet another discomfort to her, so she squeezed her eyes shut, gritting her teeth and hoping against hope that everything would just go away and give her some time to think. "It doesn't make any sense," Haku muttered quietly, trying to calm herself. "It doesn't make any sense. Oh god it doesn't make any sense." She repeated the words again and again, her voice growing croaky and hoarse with use. After what might have been a few hours, or just a few minutes, Haku heard the door to her bedroom close, leaving her alone for just a while. "It doesn't make any sense. It doesn't make any sense."

* * *

 **AN: I'm curious what you guys thought of that. Please review and let me know.**


	62. Chapter 62

**AN: Before we get started today, a quick warning. This chapter will be exploring, in some degree of depth, just how fundamentally broken Haku is. In it's own way, it may be the darkest thing I have yet written for this fic. You have been warned.**

* * *

 **Shachi:**

The boy allowed the door to swing gently closed behind him as he began making his way towards the village entrance. His hands were shaking, his breaths came in short, ragged bursts. Someone had hurt Haku. Hurt her badly. Shachi had a job to do.

* * *

 **Naruto:**

The boy sat, crying quietly atop the high wall as the snow slowly built up around him. Whatever small part of him not currently preoccupied with his hurt and frustration continually played and replayed the short but intense conversation over in his head, trying to find something he could have done better. All in all, it came as something of a welcome relief when an unfamiliar voice pulled him out of himself, even if only for a moment.

"Hey, you there. Are you Namikaze Naruto?"

Naruto sat up, wiping his eyes for a moment on the back of his sleeve. He peered through he light snowfall towards the approaching figure, not particularly identifiable, dressed as they were in another of those all concealing coats. "Y-yeah." He replied, his voice wavering as he tried to suppress a sniffle. "Who are y-"

The fist struck Naruto hard enough to send him rolling end over end through the snow. The boy pulled himself to his feet, mostly unfazed, and set his sights on his new foe. A little part of Naruto was grateful to this new assailant. A fight meant he wouldn't have to think about Haku, at least for a little while. Naruto dropped into a combat stance, determined. Whoever this newcomer was, they were fast, they'd crossed the distance to Naruto in barely an instant.

The stranger raised a hand to their hood, pulling it down to reveal a young, angular male face, probably around Naruto's own age, and a shock of vibrant red hair. "My name is Shachi Momonaka," the boy spoke, his voice trembling with suppressed rage. "Foremost apprentice of the hidden rain village and boyf-b-best friend of Haku Yuki. You hurt someone I care about, now you pay."

Naruto would have responded with confusion, but unfortunately, Shachi didn't give him a chance. The boy came at him again with that same ungodly speed, his fist aimed this time for Naruto's face. Naruto barely dodged in time, bending out of the way and aiming a sideways kick at the other boy's side. Shachi caught the blow in his hands and forced it back, pushing the blonde off balance, before following through with a series of sharp, hard jabs to Naruto's midsection. The blows hurt, but Naruto had faced worse from Sasuke in the past. He ignored the pain. Naruto took the opportunity his foe presented to seize him by the shoulders, bringing his forehead forwards and slamming it into the other boy's with a dull thud.

The stranger fell back a few paces, clutching his head reflexively with one hand. "Oww..." He muttered to himself, before seemingly shaking the disorientation off himself and returning to a ready stance. Whoever this boy was, Naruto thought, he was impressive. The blonde boy grinned, shaking himself out slightly as he tried to ignore the throbbing in his temple where their heads had struck one another. He was rather beginning to enjoy himself, this kid was a good distraction, if nothing else.

The self proclaimed foremost apprentice of the hidden rain made a short jump backwards, placing his hands together in the beginnings of a hand sign. Naruto sighed. He had been hoping to keep this engagement a fist fight. Working out his frustrations through punches and kicks was fare more satisfying than through ninjutsu, but it looked like this boy had other ideas. Naruto closed his eyes, swapping briefly back to his Rinnegan as he extended a hand, palm outwards, and expressed his power towards the boy in a hard shove.

The shock wave caught Shachi in the stomach, launching him backwards amid a great surge of snow. He landed in a heap some way away, before being buried almost immediately by the snow that had followed in his wake.

Dusting himself off, Naruto stomped towards the buried rain ninja, his sorrow replaced at least for the moment by anger. The boy arrived at the snow mound and plunged a hand into it, seizing Shachi by the scruff of the neck and pulling him outwards.

Shachi came out fighting. As Naruto pulled him up, the red haired boy took the opportunity to press his hands against the blonde's chest, which, unsettlingly, began to glow.

"Fire style: Impact grenade!"

The blast of heat and force was enough to send Naruto flying, landing with a squelch amid the now half melted snow. His nice new shirt torn to ribbons.

Naruto stood, eyes scanning furiously through the flurry of scattered snow the blast had caused, looking for any sign of his adversary.

"What the hell are you two doing?!" A voice called out, accompanied by a mighty gust of wind, blasting the drifting snow cloud apart and revealing Shachi, some way to Naruto's left. The speaker, a thin woman with straight, dark blue hair, was glaring at the two of them with daggers in her eyes.

"This guy attacked me." Naruto replied coldly, not taking his eyes off of Shachi.

"I had to, Milady Konan," Shachi spoke, his voice laden with barely contained fury. "He drove Haku into a panic attack, I will not let that stand."

The other boy's words caught Naruto utterly off guard. "Wait," he said, suddenly worried. "Haku's having a panic attack?"

The blue haired woman let out an angry groan. "Shachi, I know you have a thing for Haku, but that's no reason to go attacking this boy over her!"

"This isn't about that!" Shachi protested, his cheeks rapidly filling with a deep crimson. "I'm here because whatever this guy said, it hurt Haku really badly."

"And clearly you thought the best solution was trying to kill him?!" The woman practically screeched, her eyes flashing dangerously.

Shachi shrunk slightly, looking more than a little scared. "B-but mom-"

"No!" The woman yelled. "Don't you 'but mom' me! There's no excuse and you know it!"

"Um," Naruto interrupted quietly. "C-can one of you take me to Haku please? I need to make sure she's ok."

* * *

 **Haku:**

"It doesn't make any sense," the girl mumbled to herself, still burrowed tightly into her little nook. "It doesn't make any sense. It doesn't make any sense." She paid no heed to the sound of the door opening, nor to the sound as it closed again, shortly afterwards. A small piece in the back of her mind was able to tell that she was no longer alone in the room, but she couldn't bring herself to take any notice. "It doesn't make any sense. It doesn't make any sense."

"Hey... Haku." The girl's eyes shot open as horror struck home. Of all the people to see her like this, and of course it would have to be Naruto.

Haku turned her eyes towards the blonde boy standing across from her, staring down with a pained look in his eyes. Haku wasn't ready, she didn't know what to do. She had no idea what he was supposed to say. "P-please," Haku said, pleading quietly. "L-leave me alone."

"... No," the blonde boy answered simply after a few brief moments of silence.

Haku felt the weight sink a little further onto her soul, of course this boy wasn't going to take any pity on her. Haku couldn't blame him for that. It wasn't as if she deserved any. "... Ok," she said simply. Neither teen spoke for a time, each staring at the other, trying to muster the words to express what they wanted to say. Finally, Haku broke the sad silence. "... Are you breaking up with me?"

Naruto was silent for a time, apparently considering his words, before he finally spoke. "No, of course not," he said with a sigh, leaning his head backwards and dropping down to his knees so that the two of them were level.

"... Okay," Haku wasn't really sure what else there was to say. Nothing Naruto had said to her at the gate had made any sense, she didn't know where they stood. The girl eventually decided to clarify. To try and understand where the incomprehensibility lay. "Do you... really like me?"

"Of course I do," Naruto's response was abrupt, almost angry, in a tired sort of way. He said it like it should have been obvious.

"But you... don't have a use for me," Haku probed, huddling herself a little tighter in her shadowy corner of the room.

"No."

Haku sighed. The blonde boy was just as incomprehensible as before. "That makes no sense, Naruto. I'm a tool. People only care about tools that are useful."

Naruto didn't seem to know how to respond to that. He stared at Haku blankly for a time, before he finally spoke. "I don't see you as a tool, Haku."

Haku gave her boyfriend a reproachful look. It had been bad enough that Naruto was being insane, now he was being hurtful. "Why not? It's what I am."

"Haku... Why do you think I spend time with Sakura?"

Haku shrugged. "I dunno... she's nice, and smart. She's a good person."

"Exactly," The blonde murmured. "I like her because of all the nice things about her that make her worth spending time with. So why can't I like you for the same reasons?"

Haku felt the statement like a shard of ice through the heart. Was Naruto doing this on purpose? Forcing her to list her greatest shortcomings out loud by feigning ignorance? Well, if that was what Naruto wanted, Haku would comply. "... Because I don't have any nice things about me," She muttered, staring at the floor as tears once more began to trickle down her face. "I'm worthless. The only way people ever like me is if I give them something that makes me worth keeping around."

Naruto shifted forwards on his knees, moving up to sit beside Haku and placing a hand on her shoulder. "See, that's where you're wrong, Haku," he whispered, a quiet hurt to his voice. "You have a bunch of nice things about you. You're kind and funny and cute. You make me feel special when I'm around you. Isn't that enough to make me like you?"

Haku chuckled humorlessly. Whatever joke Naruto was trying to pull, it was a hurtful one. "So that's all it is? You wanted me because I made you feel special?"

"Yes, Haku. That's all it is. I care about you. As a person, not a tool."

Haku shook her head with a groan. "That makes no sense, Naruto. It doesn't work that way."

Naruto frowned. "...Why not?"

"Because liking me as a person is like being best friends with a crowbar. I'm not a person, Naruto. Why do you keep treating me like one?"

Naruto opened his mouth to reply, before a realization seemed to strike him, accompanied by a look of mounting horror on the boy's face. "... Hang on... We were dating for a month and a half before I got kidnapped. Are you saying that whole time..."

Haku nodded, stone faced. If Naruto was so set on forcing her to explain simple concepts to him, then so be it. "Yeah. I was waiting for you to give me whatever task you had planned for me. I thought it might be sex, or maybe you wanted me to kill someone for you. It didn't really matter. If it meant you would keep liking me. I would do it for you, Naruto."

"H-Haku... were you... scared of me?" That question confused Haku. The answer it called for didn't quite fit with whatever cruel game Naruto seemed to be playing. Perhaps she had misjudged the boy. Maybe Naruto wasn't trying to hurt her. Maybe the boy really was just painfully innocent.

Haku decided to humor the blonde boy, and offered an honest explanation. "... No, not of you. I was a little scared of what you were going to make me do. But not of you, Naruto. I-I figured sex would be okay... If that's what you wanted from me... But if you wanted me to kill someone... I... I never liked killing people. I would have done it though. For you. I killed people all the time for Master Zabuza. I got really good at it, too. I was useful to him."

Before Haku had even finished speaking, she felt Naruto's arms forcing their way inside her tiny crevice to wrap themselves around her. The touch helped, surprisingly enough. "Haku... No. Just no," Naruto spoke, his voice deeply concerned. "I was twelve. I barely had any idea what sex even was. I barely even know anything about it now. As for using you to kill people... Admittedly I might have considered sending you after Itachi if I'd thought you were strong enough, but no. I went out with you because I wanted a girlfriend. Not a-a... you thought I wanted you as... Some kind of slave?"

In spite of herself, Haku felt her arms reaching out to hug Naruto back. She crawled a little way out of her space to bury herself against the boy."Of course I did, Naruto. Why else would someone like you spend time with something as valueless as me?"

Haku felt something warm and wet against her hair. She pondered it briefly, confused, until he realized that Naruto was crying. The notion was something of a dull shock to her. Why would this boy deign to cry over something like her? "Well..." Naruto muttered. "I don't even know how to start dealing with that. But you were wrong, Haku. I wouldn't want anything from you that you wouldn't want to give me. I care about you because I think you're someone worth caring about."

Haku felt her breath begin to hitch slightly in her throat. She worked hard to keep her voice level as she replied. "... That's very silly. I'm not worth caring about."

"Strangely enough, Haku, I don't think you're the one who gets to decide that."

So that was it, huh? This boy had chosen her not because she had value, but because he was so foolish and naive as to believe Haku was worthwhile. Haku smiled, it was a nice fantasy, she had to admit. "... So... you really don't want anything from me? You promise?"

"... No... I've changed my mind on that. There is one thing I want you to do for me."

Haku's shoulders slumped, whatever tiny bit of hope had fluttered into the back of her mind draining out of her in an instant. "... Of course there is..." she muttered, angry with herself. "I was a fool to even ask. What do you want from me, then?"

"I want you to stop thinking you're worthless, Haku. Every time you think that, I want you to think about how much I care about you, how much Kimimaro cares about you, and how much all your friends care about you. I want you to keep doing that until you stop thinking of yourself as a tool, Haku."

Haku didn't know how to respond to that. The idea was insane, borne of the innocent logic of a child, but it was a command from her master. How could she do anything but obey? "... Okay."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

* * *

 **AN: To be entirely honest. I'm not %100 sure about this chapter. It was an extremely difficult conversation to write and I'm not sure if I managed to capture it properly. I may do a rewrite of it later, but I figured I'd give you guys what I had because some of you don't like to be kept waiting. If I do re write it. I'll let you guys know so that those interested can read the new version. The fact is, Haku's particular kind of damage is very difficult to word properly. She believes she is so valueless that she has to convince others to let her pretend to be a person by giving them things. She doesn't like the fact that she makes this pretense, as she sees it as something between an act of fraud and a sick fetish. Basically, Haku thinks she's a tool trying to be a person, and as such she acts as a person trying to be a tool.**

 **As always, thanks for reading and please review. If you disagree with something I've said, or the way it was written, please let me know. Input would be helpful.**


	63. Chapter 63

**AN: Hey guys. I didn't mention it in my last update because I felt like the announcement wouldn't go too well with the tone of the chapter, but this story (the original version, at least) recently achieved the 100000 views milestone. At time of writing, it sits at 111540 views (this rewrite sits at 21254 because updating it in big chunks unfortunately means less people notice it). I want to thank all of you for reading this and for bearing with me while I learned the ropes of story writing and grammatically correct sentence structure. I like to think I have improved drastically in the last few months, and it is largely due to the positive feedback MOST of you have given me that has encouraged me to get where I am. You're all awesome. In other news. I am a few weeks off of starting the serialization of the web novel I keep mentioning every now and again. I am interested to hear if any of you would be interested in reading it once I start publication. Please let me know in the reviews. Thanks again guys.**

 **As a reward for the 100000 views, this chapter will be extra chunky. Hope you like it.**

* * *

 **Naruto:**

The two teens sat together on Haku's bed, the determinedly somber conversation having given way to an awkward sort of silence. Naruto wracked his brain for something to say, some way to lighten the mood. Coming up with nothing, the boy threw caution to the wind. "Hey, Haku?"

"Yeah?"

"I uhh... I know that was kinda... hard to talk about and the mood's not exactly uhh... romantic, I guess. But it's been a year, and I kinda missed you so... Can I have a kiss?"

There was silence for a few moments as the words hung like lead in the air, before Haku snorted, shaking her head in mock admonishment. "Wow, Naruto, way to set the mood. Such a Casanova."

Naruto rolled his eyes, his cheeks going a faint red. "Shut up," he grumbled. "I was trying to cheer it up a little."

"No," the smaller teen replied, shifting around slightly to face him and pressing a hand against Naruto's chest, pushing him back against the bedpost. "You shut up." Before Naruto had time to respond, Haku leaned in, planting her lips firmly against his own.

Naruto chuckled a little in the back of his throat, a sound that gave way to a contented hum as the two of them let the kiss stretch on for several long seconds.

The brief, comfortable moment was shattered when Haku jerked back, letting out a little gasp of surprise and pain. "Hey! You bit my tongue! Naruto, what the hell?!"

Naruto groaned. "No, Haku, I didn't."

"Then why is my tongue bleeding, hmm?" The dark haired girl gave him an accusing prod in the shoulder.

Naruto sighed heavily. This was another conversation he hadn't been looking forward to. "Look, I didn't bite you. Some stuff happened while I was away and, well..." He opened his mouth a little, pointing a finger at his teeth, unnaturally pointed ever since the incident with Kurama.

Haku leaned in, peering inside Naruto's mouth as she inspected the new teeth. "... Okay... Maybe you should have warned me about those **before** you asked for a kiss, okay?"

"I would have if I'd known you were gonna use your tongue. It's not as if you've ever done that before."

Haku let out a noise of mingled exasperation and annoyance, shaking her head. "I was kissing my boyfriend for the first time in nearly a year. Excuse me for getting a little excited!"

"Hey!" Naruto protested, raising his hands defensively. "I'm not blaming you, but you can't blame me for something you did!"

Haku rolled her eyes, letting her body slump sideways to lean, arms folded, against Naruto's chest. "It's not my fault you're a terrible kisser."

Naruto gasped, aghast. "Hey! I'm a GREAT kisser! You take that back!"

"Make me." Haku replied, gazing up at her boyfriend with a satisfied smirk.

The challenge hung in the air for a long moment, the two gazing at one another as the angry heat slowly left Naruto's brain. "I..." He started, confused. "I feel like there's something I should be doing that I'm not doing right now."

Haku lifted her hands to her face, letting out a groan of incalculable aggravation. "You were supposed to kiss me again, you dork! I set you up with the perfect romantic moment and you missed it like a chump!"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "You know what, Haku? Shut up." Before Haku could make her angry reply, Naruto pulled the pale girl up towards himself, their lips meeting a second time.

* * *

Several long, indulgent minutes later, the two teens sat curled up on the pillows together, both more than a little red. "Okay, fine," Haku muttered, snuggling a little tighter against the blonde boy. "I take it back."

Naruto grinned, quite immensely proud of himself.

There was a quiet knock on the door.

"Oi," came Sasuke's voice. "Everything okay in there?"

"Yup," Naruto replied happily. "We made up."

There was a short silence before Sasuke's voice spoke again. "...Are you two dressed?"

Haku snorted. Naruto slapped a hand gently against his forehead with a groan. "We're thirteen, Sasuke."

"That's why I'm asking." Came the reply immediately, drawing a further fit of giggles from Haku.

"Yes," Naruto groaned. "We're completely dressed. What do you want, Sasuke?"

"I'm actually fourteen, you know." Haku said between chuckles, prodding Naruto in the stomach mock reproachfully.

The door opened, revealing Sasuke and Sakura, each looking at the cuddled pair with an amused sort of smile on their faces. Behind them stood the boy from before. He was gazing at the pair of them too, and he seemed far less amused. The boy caught Naruto's eye for a brief moment, before looking away again, his arms folded.

"Okay," Sasuke began. "Sakura agreed to wait until we met up with Haku again, but now she REEEALLY needs that explanation and she says she'll 'sage punch' me if we don't spill it right now."

"Which is completely reasonable," Sakura added mildly, glancing at the boy. "Isn't it, Sasuke?"

"Yes!" Sasuke answered immediately, his eyes going wide. "It is! I promise!"

Naruto snorted. "Dude, you are so whipped."

Sasuke glared at him. "You've seen how she fights, Naruto," he pointed at the girl. "I don't know what sage punches are, but I know I don't want her doing one on me!"

Naruto shook his head, grinning. "So whipped."

Sakura cleared her throat slightly, gesturing behind herself to the red haired boy. "Oh, and uhh, this guy said he wanted to apologize for before. Did something happen between you two?"

The redhead hesitantly stepped forwards, his expression glum. "I uhh... I wanted to..." he stopped, shaking his head slightly, before amending himself. "I felt I should apologize for attacking you earlier, Namikaze. It was... unbecoming."

"Wait, what?" Haku asked, looking over at the boy in shock. "You attacked him, Shachi? Why?"

Shachi seemed to shrink a little under Haku's gaze. "I... Mostly did it because of how hurt you were after you spoke to him, Haku," he admitted. "I assumed he'd done something to hurt you. But... on reflection... I guess that might not have been the only reason..."

"What other reason?" Haku asked, looking at Shachi with a kind of hurt in her eyes. "You attacked my boyfriend... why?"

Shachi didn't answer, his face going a deep, deep red.

Naruto watched, impassive. He knew the answer. From what that Konan lady had said, this boy was jealous of him. Naruto knew he could have done something to help the boy, make this a little easier for him, but he didn't.

"Oh," Sakura broke the uncomfortable silence, all eyes turning to her. "You have a crush on Haku, don't you, Shachi?"

Haku snorted, the sound breaking into something of a giggle fit. "Sakura, no," she said between laughs. "Shachi isn't into me. There's this mystery girl who he never shuts up about." Haku's laughter continued for several seconds in the otherwise quiet room, before dying away awkwardly. Haku glanced around at everyone, confused, the last few chuckles dying uncertainly on her lips. "... What?"

Naruto had assumed it was impossible for Shachi to go a deeper red than he had been, but a single glance at the unfortunate boy proved him wrong. Shachi was staring at the floor, still as a statue. Naruto sighed. "That... was the worst possible thing you could have said, Haku."

The dark haired girl looked at him, uncomprehending. "... Why?"

Naruto looked up at Shachi, his expression carefully neutral. "Your choice," he murmured. "Me or you, buddy."

Shachi gave the tiniest of nods, still staring determinedly at the floor. "H-Haku... that person I've had a crush on for the last seven months... It was you, Haku... I'm sorry."

Haku gazed up at the embarrassed boy for a long moment, her face blank and her mouth hanging open in a faint "o," before eventually whispering "But... I... You..." The silence dragged on for what felt like an eternity, before the girl put a hand to her forehead with a groan. "Oh god, I'm such an idiot."

"I'm sorry!" Shachi tried, raising a hand placatingly. "I didn't know you had a boyfriend and we got along really well and well... you're really hot, so I... I'm sorry."

Haku shook her head, confused. "I'm not hot, what are you talking about?"

"Actually, you kind of are," said both Sasuke and Sakura in unison, before snapping their heads towards one another in shock. "Wait, really!?"

Naruto lay back against the pillows with a groan. "Can everyone please stop being into my girlfriend?"

"I'm not into her!" Sakura protested, blushing furiously. "I just think she's cute cuz she kinda looks like a boy!" She turned her gaze back to Sasuke. "Why do you think she's hot?"

Sasuke grinned, shrugging. "What can I say? I like a girl who can kick my ass." He shot Sakura a wink, and she very pointedly looked away, going a touch redder.

"Hang on," Haku said quietly. "Can we back up here a second? Everyone in this room thinks I'm hot?"

"Well you had to have known I liked you," Naruto pointed out. "I spent the last half hour explaining that to you."

"Yeah," Haku replied, her voice strangely high pitched. "I knew you thought I was cute, Naruto. But I thought you were just really weird or something. But now you're telling me everyone thinks that?"

"... I'm sorry." Shachi mumbled again, before Naruto cut him off with a raised hand.

"No. You made one or two bad calls today, Shachi. But liking Haku wasn't one of them. I think we can all agree that she's awesome."

"Umm..." Haku spoke, very quietly. "About that... Shachi... I-I'm r-really flattered that you l-like me a-and it means a lot for you to say all those n-nice things a-about me, but I'm k-kinda with someone ri-"

"NOPE!" Shachi interrupted at maximum volume, throwing his hands in the air. "We are not doing this right now! We will all forget this ever happened!"

Haku gazed at the redhead for a few moments, before letting out a small sigh of relief. "Oh thank god. Yeah, let's do that."

Silence fell once more as Sakura, Haku and Shachi worked desperately at getting their blushes back under control. He gazed at each of them in turn. "Well this was educational." He said smugly, leaning back against the pillows. Sakura and Shachi glared at him.

"Well," Sasuke spoke up eventually. "Moving on to the slightly more bearable subject of why Naruto and I chose to run away from the leaf village and become missing nin. I don't actually know why Naruto chose to do it. It just sorta happened while Kurama, Itachi and I were trying to rescue him."

Sakura cocked an eyebrow at Sasuke in confusion, moving to sit down at the end of the bed. "Okay, back up a little. Who's Kurama and why are you on the same side as Itachi now?"

Sasuke shrugged, plopping himself down across from his erstwhile girlfriend. "Okay, back to the very basics. Kurama is the spirit of the nine tailed fox that used to be sealed inside Naruto, except he got removed when one of Itachi's friends kidnapped Naruto to try and steal his power from him."

"Wait," Haku raised a hand, confused. "I thought it was the fox that kidnapped Naruto. Now you're saying it was this other guy?"

Beside the door, pretty much unnoticed at this point by the rest of the group, Shachi gazed at the four of them nonplussed, before plopping himself down on his chair with a shrug.

"Kinda," Naruto corrected Haku, shifting the girl slightly on top of him. "Kurama was the one who kidnapped me the first time, because Kakashi, Jiraiya and the Hokage were trying to restructure his seal in a way that would pretty much be constant torture for him. Kisame -that's Itachi's friend, by the way- was the one who kidnapped me the second time... or the third? Depends how you count them. Sasuke, when you and Itachi rescued me from Orochimaru after Kakashi told me to go back to the village, does that count as a kidnapping?" Sasuke nodded, grinning. "Okay, yeah," Naruto continued. "So Kisame was the third kidnapping."

"How many times exactly have you been kidnapped?" Sakura asked, confused.

Naruto cocked his head to the side for a moment, muttering under his breath for a few seconds as he counted. "Umm... I think this is the fifth one. Moving on. The village wanted to reinforce the seal because they were scared Kurama might take over my body. So they tried to force him back down and he responded, ironically, by taking over my body and running away."

"Why did they think he was taking over?" Sakura asked, confused.

Naruto shrugged. "I got really powerful really quickly and he started using my body to speak. Instead of giving me a chance to explain, they just kinda assumed I was possessed."

"... How powerful?" Haku asked quietly.

"Remember when we fought Orochimaru? You know that golden glowy thing I did?"

"I do," Haku nodded. "You had a tail."

"I did? Well, anyway, that was me using Kurama's power."

"Oh," Haku muttered. "I did wonder about that."

"Yeah," Naruto smiled, before continuing. "So one of the powers I got when Kurama started helping me was a kinda mind reading power... Sort of. I used it on the Hokage because Orochimaru told me he was lying to us when we met him in the forest of death."

Sakura opened her mouth to speak, but Sasuke pre-empted her. "He wiped your memory, Sakura. It wasn't fun."

"Is that why you guys were being super quiet in the arena?" Sakura asked. The brothers nodded. "... You should have told me."

"... Sorry." Sasuke muttered.

Naruto pressed on. "So, I interrogated the Hokage and found out that the lie he was telling us was that Itachi didn't kill our family... sort of. He was forced into it by this other person... no idea who though."

"Danzo Shimura," Sasuke supplied. "Kurama told me."

"Thanks," Naruto answered, his eyes narrowing. "I know who the target is now."

Haku and Shachi both whistled in unison, each drawing strange looks from the others.

Haku shrugged. "I know a little about Danzo, Zabuza used to tell horror stories about him. Some kind of leaf village black ops commander, supposedly really shady. Zabuza always used to say, 'never trust old people, just remember Danzo.'"

"Yeah," Shachi chimed in. "My parents told me he was involved with Hanzo the salamander. Something about keeping this place under any dictator he could, as long as they weren't against the leaf."

"So this guy's why you left the village?" Sakura asked, trying to make sense of it all in her head.

"No," Sasuke replied, shaking his head, mirrored by Naruto. "I left the village after Naruto was kidnapped so that I could find him because I didn't want to lose ANOTHER brother. I STAYED gone because it was a choice between staying with Itachi and Kurama, both of whom were offering to make me ridiculously strong, or going back to the village with Naruto and letting the villagers keep trying to lie to me. But yeah, killing Danzo is the next step of the plan, ideally."

"And I chose to leave," Naruto chimed in. "Because I wanted to meet up with my family again instead of staying in the leaf where, as far as I could tell, everyone was still lying to me. For all I knew, Kurama hadn't escaped like they told me. I thought might have had him trapped so deep inside me he couldn't even communicate. I wanted to get to some people I knew I could trust."

"And you can't trust the leaf village?" Sakura asked, a hardness to her voice.

Naruto shrugged. "Not after finding out that they lied to us about pretty much our entire upbringing and especially not after they tried to torture my dad pretty much in front of me." He paused, noting the strange looks he was getting from everyone besides Sasuke. "Oh, uhh... Thing is, since Kurama's chakra was influencing my growth from pretty much the very moment I was conceived, I'm kinda... technically his son in a weird way? But yeah, all of that. Plus, considering that they kidnapped me back from Kurama after he got removed from me, that's kidnapping number four for anyone who cares, there is pretty much no way I can trust them at all anymore."

"Not even Kakashi?" Sakura's voice sounded slightly sad as she asked him that.

"... To be honest, Sakura. I think Kakashi's a good person. I just think he's in too deep with Jiraiya and the Hokage to be someone I can really rely on."

There was silence in the room for several long minutes. Everyone gazing at Sakura as she mulled over everything she'd been told. Eventually, the girl spoke, sounding tired. "I... understand where you're both coming from... I even get that your decisions make sense, but I'm not helping you kill this Danzo guy. It sounds like he's mixed up in something way too complicated for me to say for sure whether he deserves to die. What I do know is that both the Hokage and Jiraiya, whatever else is going on, are good people. If they're letting Danzo get away with whatever it is he's doing, it must be because they know there's a good reason."

"Oh, I'm absolutely sure there's a good reason for all of it," Sasuke murmured, nodding. "But he murdered my family. Regardless of the reason, he has to die."

Sakura glanced at Naruto, who was nodding his agreement, and sighed. "... Yeah, I thought you'd say that. I'm not helping you kill him, but I am going to stick around with you. Someone has to keep you idiots alive."

"I'll help you kill him," Haku spoke up, her voice cold and clear. "You helped me with the ones who killed Zabuza. It's my turn."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "You nearly got yourselves killed back then, too."

Another silence fell, heavier than the last. Haku gripped Naruto's hand. The blonde grimaced in silence. "Soo..." Sasuke said tentatively, looking up at the girl opposite him. "A-about... us..."

"Yeah?" Sakura replied, smiling slightly as a slight pink tinge worked its way across her face. "About us?"

"Are we... I mean... do you wanna...?" Sasuke let the question hang in the air for a moment. Sakura nodded quietly, and Sasuke grinned. Naruto rolled his eyes, grinning slightly as Haku gave his hand a little squeeze.

"So I guess now comes the most important question," Haku spoke up, glancing at each face in turn. "It's been a year. We've all had some kind of special training," she gave Naruto's hand another little squeeze. "Except for blondie here, who's probably way behind us by now. So then, who'd win in a fight?"

"Me." Replied Sasuke, Naruto, Sakura and Shachi, all at once.

"Well, you're all wrong," Haku answered with a smile. "It's me." She glanced up at Naruto with a chuckle. "Sorry, funny boy. Answer's still the same. I'd totally destroy you."

Naruto replied with his own small chuckle. "Is that so, Haku?" As he spoke, gazing into Haku's eyes, he allowed his own eyes to shift from their normal, slate grey appearance, to the glowing red of the Mangekyou Sharingan. "You sure about that?"

Haku didn't answer. She was too busy being stunned.

"Oh yeah," Sasuke spoke up. "I was wondering about that. Exactly how much have you been practicing with your sharingan, Naruto? It can't have been much, cuz it looks like Sakura kind of owned you when you were using it."

Sakura nodded. "He's right. I did."

Naruto shrugged, allowing his eyes to flicker back to their neutral grey coloration. "To be honest, not much. I tried it once or twice, but at one point they started shooting this black fire and I couldn't put it out no matter what I did, so I stopped practicing with them in case I got discovered."

"That was amaterasu," Sasuke replied. "One of the big reasons why I'd win in a fight. I have flamethrowers in my EYES. What'd the fire hit?"

Naruto took a moment to disentangle himself from his motionless girlfriend, rifling momentarily through his satchel and pulling out a small glass jar. Inside the jar sat a small pile of ash, still on fire, despite the lack of any remaining fuel. "This piece of wood I got from using my rasengan on a tree." Naruto thought back to the tree for a moment. Giving a respectful nod to the memory of his adversary. "I have decided its name was Ken, and it deserved everything I did to it."

"That explains literally nothing." Sakura said bluntly.

"I'm thirteen," Naruto answered. "Sue me. Besides, why would I spend my time on Sharingan training when I have the other eyes to figure out?"

"Other eyes?" Haku piped up, the words breaking through her stunned silence. "You have more?"

Naruto winced. "Damn it. I was hoping to keep that quiet. Ah well, I guess I would have had to mention them at some point anyway to ask that Nagato guy about them." With a sigh, Naruto placed the glass jar down on the bed, before looking Haku in the eye once again. As before, Naruto felt the wonderful sense of relief as the rinnegan emerged, no longer forcing him to focus his chakra away from them. "So... yeah," Naruto murmured. "I kinda have these ones too."

Naruto watched with a touch of amusement as, once again, Haku's jaw dropped, her eyes going wide as dinner plates. This time, however, she wasn't the only one. "H-hey!" Shachi called out incredulously. "Th-those are m-my father's eyes! Why the hell do you have Rinnegan?"

Naruto turned his attention to Shachi for a moment, distracted. "Wait, that Nagato guy's your dad?"

Shachi nodded. "Yes. Well, him and my other dad, I mean. But that's not the point. Why do you have Rinnegan!?"

Naruto cocked his head slightly, confused. "Wait, two dads? But I thought I met your mom outs-"

"It's a polyamorous thing," Shachi cut him off with an irritated wave of his hand. "And that's still not the point! Why. Do. You. Have. RINNEGAN?!"

Naruto shrugged. "Kind of a long story."

"I have time!" Shachi replied, one eyebrow twitching slightly.

"My boyfriend's a god," Haku whispered quietly, staring at her hands. "My boyfriend's a god. My boyfriend's a god."

"No!" Naruto protested, giving Haku a little shake. "I'm really not a god, Haku."

"Technically, you sort of are." Sakura muttered angrily, before lighting up with realization. "Hey, if you're a god, and I beat you, that must mean I'm stronger than god now!"

"My boyfriend's a god," Haku continued her litany, unperturbed by anything happening around her. "My boyfriend's a god. My boyfriend's a god."

Naruto put his head in his hands and groaned. This had been a long day.

There was another knock on the door, drawing the eyes of everyone besides Haku, who continued her shocked repetition undisturbed.

"Hello?" Came Nagato's voice through the door. "Is Naruto in there? I was hoping to have a word with him."

"Come on in," Naruto replied, resignedly. "It's not as if you can make this any more confusing."

The door opened and the slight, red haired man made his way inside, glancing briefly around the room before he caught sight of Naruto. "Listen," he said quietly. "This may seem strange, but I need to know how you resisted my pulling technique earli-" He stopped talking as his eyes fell on Naruto's own, their Rinnegan a perfect match. The two stared at one another for a moment. "Yeah," the redhead murmured, still gazing at Naruto's eyes. "I figured it might be that. So this is what they look like from the outside... Hmm."

"Hey dad," Shachi said quietly from the corner.

"Oh," said Nagato, seeming to notice him for the first time. "Hey, Shachi. Nice to see you're making some new friends."

* * *

 **Akatsuki:**

"Master Tobi, is it meant to be snowing?"

The masked man glanced momentarily at his subordinate, searching his memory momentarily for her name. "No, Shera. It is not. Something strange is going on, and we should all remain on guard," he glanced back at the two other new recruits accompanying him. "That goes for you both as well, Miko, and you, Camoe. Regardless, the plan remains the same. The moment we get through that wall, your only job is to buy me time with the purple eyed man. Keep everyone else away from us. Now then, how's our newest comrade doing?"

The two black robed figures parted, allowing the man to gaze at the girl who followed despondently behind them, bound to each by a solid chain attached to an iron ring around her neck.

"Hello, miss," the man said with a slight bow. "I'm afraid it is now time to do what we brought you here to do."

The girl spat at him, the liquid striking his mask dead on. The figure sighed, raising a sleeve to wipe the moisture away. "Charming, as always, miss Yugito, but I'm afraid I really must insist that you do as I say now."

"Eat shit," she responded angrily.

"I admire your resolve," The man admitted quietly. "You are a credit to your village. That being said, miss, we do still have your sister, and we will kill her extremely painfully if you do not use the two tails to breach this wall and keep the villagers distracted. Am I understood, miss Yugito?" Yugito fell silent, glaring at the man. "If it helps your decision making process," the man supplied. "I can readily inform you that one of our men collects flayed skin. He's very good at it. Once he's peeled a person, if you'll excuse the parlance, he uses his prodigious talent for medical ninjutsu to keep them alive so that he can do it all again. Now, would you mind blasting a hole in that wall for me?"

Hesitantly, still glaring at him with all the loathing she could muster, Yugito nodded.

"Good," the man said, his tone businesslike. He gestured to his subordinates, who each began removing the bindings spaced across the girl's body. Once freed, Yugito walked slowly past the four robed figures, making her way to the high metal wall of the hidden rain village. As she moved, her body began to shift ever so slightly, glowing a faint blue in places, turning pitch black in others.

"M-master Tobi?" Shera asked, drawing his attention for a moment. "W-were we really going to flay her sister?"

The masked man chuckled. "Shera, you have a lot to learn. No, we don't have anyone who flays people. More importantly though, Shera, that girl doesn't even have a sister."

In the distance, Yugito began to swell, her body rippling and pulsing like the surface of a stormy sea. Quite abruptly, the thing expanded, growing from human size to the size of a house in seconds. The blue glow intensified, building and building until it would have been indistinguishable from fire. The two tails opened its mouth, energy beginning to pool and collect within its jaws, before firing it all at once against the steel wall with a sound like the breaking of worlds.

"Well," Obito said quietly, smiling a little under his mask. "Let's go make the world a better place."

* * *

 **AN: It was only writing this chapter and recapping a large part of the plot that I realized just how convoluted the whole thing actually was. Please tell me it made sense while it was happening. This was meant to be longer. I was initially planning on including the fight sequence that follows in the same chapter, but this is already over 5000 words, so I thought i'd make this a two parter. It feels good to have all the main characters understanding one another again, though. Thank you guys again for all your support so far and, as always, feel free to review if you think there's something worth mentioning.**

 **Hey, guess what? This rewrite has just been completed, the FemHaku version of this story is now in the same point in the story as the Male!Haku version. I'm not %100 sure what this means with regard to the future. It probably means I'll be updating the two simultaneously (or about half an hour apart to give me time to change all of Haku's descriptors over) from now on. So yeah, that's a thing. Till next time!**


	64. Chapter 64: Outmatched

**AN: So that update message that got sent out a few days ago was a false alarm. I was editing some things and the website apparently thought I'd added a chapter. This one, however is a very real update, so please enjoy.**

 **PS: Oh, I have decided that from now on, all of Shachi's jutsu will be pokemon themed!**

* * *

 **Naruto:**

"So then," Nagato murmured, returning his attention to Naruto. "I'm obviously gonna have to ask you a few questions about those eyes of yo-"

The wave of force and sound that interrupted the redhead was nothing short of cataclysmic, reverberating through the metallic structure of the village complex like a wave and causing the whole room to shake. The small electrical light-bulb in the ceiling flickered out, leaving the room in darkness.

"... What was that?" Asked Sakura's voice from somewhere nearby.

"I'm not sure," Nagato muttered in response. "I can't imagine it was anything good."

As Nagato spoke, Sasuke mumbled a few quiet phrases, before apparently exhaling gently on his hands. As he did so, a small flame, about twice the size of a candle flame, flickered into being in his hands, providing some small illumination to the room.

Haku, shaken free from her spot on Naruto's lap, moved quietly to the curtains, not opening them, but peeking one eye through them in an attempt to spy what was going on.

"See anything?" Shachi asked quietly.

"People running around," Haku murmured, eyes still fixed on the tiny gap in the material. "Hard to tell what's going on without going outside."

"Standard procedure when something like this happens is for people to return to their homes," Nagato said, his voice curt. "There's a reason we made everything out of metal, after all. Every house is a bunker."

"We should go see what's going on," Said Naruto. "We aren't any help stuck in here."

"No," Nagato replied. "I should go outside and see what's going on. You should all stay here and keep safe."

Both Naruto and Sasuke began to speak, perhaps to offer counters to Nagato's suggestion, before Haku cut them off.

"I see a light," She called out, her voice urgent. "Brace yourselves!"

Barely a moment after the warning was given, there was another blast of sound and force, far stronger than the one before. The whole room shook and warped with the force of it. The glass of the window gave out with a sharp crack. Outside, people began to scream.

"Stay here!" Nagato said urgently. "I need to leave."

Without another word, the redhead bolted from the room, his coattails swishing quietly behind him.

The five remaining inhabitants of the room looked at one another for a few moments. Sakura sat herself down on the ground and closed her eyes.

"Um..." Shachi asked quietly. "Are... are we really gonna just stay here?"

"No." replied Naruto and Sasuke in unison, Sasuke with a snort.

"We really should," Haku groaned. "But we're not going to because my boyfriend has a thing for playing the hero."

"Holy crap," Sakura muttered from her spot on the floor, glancing up to look at the others, her eyes once more rimmed with that strange orange coloration. "Okay, my sage mode lets me sense energy, and whatever's going on outside, there's a chakra source the size of a mountain out there and it looks like it's attacking people."

"Yeah," Naruto spoke as he began making his way to the door. "We're definitely going out there."

With varying degrees of hesitation, the others followed suit, each moving out onto the balcony walkway that connected Haku's small apartment with the rest of the hidden rain. Looking down over the chaos, it didn't take any of them long to find the source of it.

There was a twenty meter hole in the far wall. Or, to rephrase, there was a gash in the reinforced metal shell of the village large enough to fit a small house, still glowing white hot at the outer edges. The metal bent and torn awkwardly, steam from the melted snow outside still rising from it in a thin plume. That was the least of it, though. What really drew Naruto's eye, was the cat. Easily the size of the apartment they had just left, it's body appeared to be composed near entirely out of intense blue flame. As the small group watched the scene, the cat opened its jaws, a shining orb of what appeared to be pure energy gathering between its teeth. The creature raised its head, apparently choosing to aim the gigantic blob of energy towards the homes scattered along the village wall.

"Nope!" Naruto shouted. "Stopping this! Everyone get ready!" Without another word, he raised a hand, his rinnegan flaring as he directed his power towards the beast in a single, gargantuan pull. "Hit it with everything you've got!" He called out as the creature pivoted, yanked off the ground by some unseen force, accelerating towards Naruto like a rocket. As the monster span, its shot went wide, striking an uninhabited segment of wall with what appeared to be a straight up laser beam. The shot hit the wall with the sound of metal screaming against metal, leaving another smoking gash in the side of the great complex.

As the beast propelled through the air towards Naruto, limbs flailing wildly as it tried to regain control, the group around Naruto dispersed, each young ninja readying what, he presumed, was the strongest attack in their respective arsenals.

The monster was perhaps ten meters from the boy when the first attack was made. Sasuke launched himself from the rooftop of a nearby building and out into the empty air, his path intercepting the creature. Before the two could meet, that same purplish, ghostly aura once more began to shroud Sasuke's form. The shadowy substance took shape, forming itself rapidly into a single, skeletal arm around an undersized ribcage. The arm pulled back, tiny strands of ghostly muscle flexing in preparation, before bringing its massive fist forward and punching the colossal cat in the jaw with enough force to shatter boulders.

The creature let out a little yowl of surprise and pain as it fell to the ground below, released from Naruto's jutsu and given a new trajectory by Sasuke in a single strike. It hit the ground with a crash, but rolled to its feet in under a second, apparently unhindered by the recent blow. Before the great creature had time to retaliate, however, Sakura struck.

"Sage art: Rock Cannon!"

The pink haired girl did not launch herself from her perch atop her own nearby building, instead simply peaking out and spitting a small pebbled down towards the creature before retreating. The pebble in question swelled, becoming the size of a boulder, then a house. It streaked down towards the cat, fast enough that it left tiny trails of air and steam in its wake, before slamming into the creature's side with a crack like thunder itself.

The creature roared in pain as the blow struck, but stood solid against it, seemingly unharmed. In response, it began gathering more of that same roiling energy between its jaws, readying for another strike.

"Lightning style: Volt tackle!"

Naruto watched, eyes wide in surprise as Shachi, of all people, sent himself hurtling towards the monster's unprotected flank, his entire body wreathed in glowing electrical yellows, and proceeded, quite simply, to elbow barge the titanic feline in the gut. For all the impact it appeared to have, he may as well have just punched it. However, the creature did glance at him, its focus drawn momentarily from the pooling power still collecting within its jaws. The mass of energy began to disperse slowly, the air around it glowing slightly as it struggled to take on the sheer quantity of power being funneled into it.

The great cat turned towards Shachi, a single paw raising to swipe at the unfortunate redhead as he began to back away, eyes transfixed.

"Ice style: Permafrost stampede!"

Behind the creature, minuscule by comparison, Haku fired her own jutsu. A torrent of ice began to flow from the dark haired girl, catching the creature about the hindquarters in a massive plume of steam as the ice met the thing's fiery form. For its own part, the creature yowled in pain, its attention once again drawn away from its current target.

Haku continued, undaunted as the thing turned slowly to face her, its back legs covered by a single huge block of rapidly melting ice.

"Ice style: Permafrost stampede."

A second volley, larger than the first, spewed forth from the small girl, engulfing the enraged feline bodily and emitting another vast cloud of steam.

"Regroup!" Haku shouted, her voice a little hoarse with effort. "This won't hold it for long!"

Naruto nodded, stepping down from his position at Haku's balcony and falling the thirty or so meters to the floor. He landed in a crouch at Haku's side, the others joining them in short order.

"I feel like we're seriously under-powered for this thing," Shachi said quietly, his voice tense, as they watched the creature slowly begin to move under the rapidly melting ice. "Anyone disagree?"

"Yeah, no," Sasuke agreed, moisture glistening on his brow, either from exertion or from the sheer quantity of water vapor filling the surrounding air. "We are totally boned. My Susanoo barely even hurt it."

"Then we restrain it," Naruto murmured. "Those chains I used on Gamabunta. They're strong enough that people used to use them to restrain tailed beasts. If you cover me, I can try to tie it down." He glanced around at the other four, each gazing silently at the melting ice. "Look, if anyone has a better plan, I am all ears."

After a few moments, Sakura sighed.

"No," she muttered. "Much as it pains me to admit, I've got nothing. I guess its restraining time, then."

The ice gave a single, high pitched squeak as it cracked, the whole of its surface spiderwebbing with fractures and breaks. A hole at the top began to emit yet more steam, the surrounding area rapidly covering with a thick, dense fog.

Sakura brought a thumb to her teeth, biting down, before slamming her palm to the ground.

"Summoning Jutsu: Reliable warrior, Gamaken!"

There was yet another massive plume of steam as Sakura's summoning took effect. A magenta toad of a size with Gamabunta seemed almost to pop into existence before the five teens. The massive creature turned its head, glancing behind itself.

 **"Milady Sakura,"** the thing rumbled, its voice strangely formal. **"What can I do for you this day?"**

In answer, Sakura pointed.

"See that cat thing?" She asked. "We need you to help us hold it down while my friend here binds it. It's powerful enough to kill us with a good hit, I'd bet."

The giant toad gave a single slow nod, turning back to face the rapidly degrading block of ice, the flaming cat clearly visible inside.

 **"I will see what I can do, Milady,"** the toad murmured, pulling a shield and a long, two pronged pole from the holders at its hip. **"Although, I am quite ungraceful."**

As the six of them, joined now by the mountainous form of Gamaken, watched, the ice surrounding the beast finally gave out, shattering with a tumultuous squeal of escaping steam and finishing the process of blanketing the area with a massive sheet of thick, visibility obscuring fog. Visibility obscuring for the cat, that is. They could still see it perfectly clearly, even those without advanced ocular jutsu. It would have been hard not to see it, being that it was constructed near entirely out of incandescent blue fire.

The great cat rose slowly to its feet, the fire shrouding its form building to a furiously bright blue, and let out a challenging roar that shook the very ground on which they stood.

 **"Everyone,"** Gamaken murmured, stepping forwards. **"Please stay behind me."**

As the two gargantuan creatures met, the first blow sending ripples of energy surging through their surroundings, Naruto began to prepare his chains.

* * *

 **AN: Sorry I haven't updated in a while guys. I've been busy getting my web serial novel off the ground. As you can imagine, I was rather focused on it, as it is my first published thing that wasn't based on someone else's work. If any of you are interested in reading it because, you know, you guys are awesome like that, it can be found at:**

 **touchwebserial . com**

 **Without the spaces.**

 **As always, thank you all for reading and I hope you enjoyed. Feel free to leave a review or comment if you feel there's something you'd like to mention. That's all for me for the moment. Bye guys!**


	65. Chapter 65: War in the hidden rain

**AN: Hey guys. So, a few weeks ago, this fic experienced its one year anniversary. My plan at the time was to do a big update on the day of the anniversary as a sort of celebration, both of the start of my time as a writer, and as a celebration of you guys, my first audience. I felt I owed it to you guys to see this story through, as you all helped me to get where I am today as a writer with your patience, your support, and your reviews. Unfortunately, as it turned out, the few weeks since that anniversary have been fairly hectic. I kinda moved house three times and emigrated from Canada to Australia, so it was a bit busy. That being said, I'm doing the update now, and I intend to give you guys a minimum of one update every few weeks until I have seen this story through. I feel like I owe it to you guys not to leave my first major project unfinished.**

 **That said, there is a favor I would like to ask of you all in exchange, and I would like to ask you all to read the author's note at the end of the chapter for more on that. Please, it's really important to me. Now,** **on with the chapter!**

* * *

 **Nagato:**

The third lord of the village hidden in the rain stood rooted to the spot, his attentions torn between the massive, blazing blue cat on one end of the complex, and the battlefield that was beginning to form near the hole so recently created in the village wall. A tailed beast was a serious problem, but someone with the power to unleash one on his home? That could be an even worse problem. The decision was made for him when the great cat let out a whine of pain, the back half of its body encased by a block of ice the size of a small hill.

Nagato closed his eyes for a moment, torn between anger that Haku had disobeyed the order to stay inside, or gratitude that she and her friends were working to distract the thing. At the very least, it bought him time. He reached within himself, tapping into the strange, ethereal reserves of his Rinnegan, and pushed himself gently into the air, heading towards the new battlefield from above. It looked to be a surprisingly small incursion, all things considered, the bulk of the fighting focused around a group of two individuals in heavy black coats decorated with red clouds. They were currently engaged against Konan and Yahiko, holding surprisingly even with his companions through sustained barrages of elemental attacks. This was not altogether very concerning. He trusted his friends to overcome their foes. It was the second conflict that was by far the more distressing.

A third interloper, their face concealed by an orange mask, was engaged in combat with what appeared to be almost the entirety of the village garrison, veteran ninja of the last war, all of them, and was somehow making playthings of them all. More reinforcements were arriving by the second, redirected towards the stranger by his fellow leaders, and yet, no matter their numbers, none of them seemed able to touch the stranger. Even as Nagato watched, a trio of his men attempted an attack on the invader, coming towards the figure from three sides at once, blades at the ready. The first two almost made it close enough to touch the stranger, before, with a series of movements that Nagato barely even managed to track, he severed one of their hands at the wrist, and sent the other flying across the field with a solid blow to the sternum. The third attack, launched from the figure's blindspot, struck home, or so it seemed, the guardsman plunging a blade into the small of his foes back, only for the stranger to casually turn and backhand him into the ground with a thunderous crack. The blade, by all appearances, simply fell out of the intruder's back, not leaving behind even the faintest mark of its presence.

Nagato raised a hand, palm out towards the stranger, and grasped them with his power. The stranger flickered, as though a light switch had been momentarily turned off and on again, projecting them into the world. He pulled, his efforts forcing the stranger up off the ground with significantly less momentum than they should have done. Still, it should be enough to keep the stranger airborne long enough for him to do what he had to.

"All of you!" He shouted, floating forwards toward the remaining members of the garrison. "Go and help fight off the beast! Let me handle this one!" The surrounding ninja responded immediately, turning as one towards the distant conflict, the beast seemingly locked in battle with a giant, quarterstaff wielding toad. Hopefully, they should be enough to keep the little ones alive. He offered a quiet prayer that Shachi hadn't done something heroic and gotten himself killed, before turning to face his new foe.

The stranger had not spent their time airborne just waiting to come back down to the earth, it seemed, and as Nagato returned his attention towards them, they spewed forth a veritable torrent of electricity from their mask, a dozen crackling spears of incandescent cobalt blue sparking towards him, tinting the air with the smell of burning rain. Nagato didn't try to dodge, the strike was too fast to allow him to; instead, he raised his hands, before him, catching one of the bolts of lightning in his right hand, and making a desperate flurry of one handed signs with the left. The jutsu he used to shield himself was not among his favorites; it relied on a mass of shifting, rapidly compacted air and water to shield him, and its high speed of execution was offset by its incredible inefficiency of energy. He restored a degree of his reserves with the bolt caught in his hand, using his rinnegan to dismantle the jutsu into its base chakra and pull it inside of himself. The rest of the bolts hit his bubble, and he grunted slightly at the effort of keeping it up. This foe was strong.

The stranger landed, coming to rest atop a collapsed market stall, and stood, gazing at Nagato.

"So you're the Rinnegan?" The interloper asked in a calm, male voice. "Pleasure to meet you. My name's Tobi. I've been looking for you for a very long time."

Cautiously, Nagato descended, not willing to take this battle in the air, if he could help it. If this man was strong enough to send jutsu like the last one at him, then his specialized reserves were better spent defending than on mobility.

"Can't say I have a damned clue who you are," he replied evenly, changing mental gears so as to swap out the weapons from his Rinnegan's absurd metaphysical armory. He'd already seen that this man had a way of dodging physical harm, but his pulling technique had been effective, at the very least, so he may as well try shoving his foe with an almighty push. "Don't expect you're from the hidden cloud, and yet that," he gestured to the distant form of the tailed beast. "Looks an awful lot like Matatabi, who was last recorded in the hidden cloud's possession. Why are you attacking my home?"

"Tell you what," the stranger replied, his voice polite, almost jovial. "You carve out those almighty eyes of yours and give em to me, and I'll tell you everything there is to know about myself. Hell, I'll even call off the fire monster, sound like a deal?"

"Okay," Nagato summarized. "You're an insane bastard who wants to kill me, got it." He brought his palm forwards, intent upon seizing the stranger once more with his power, and letting of an almighty push of sheer, unbridled kinetic force. The stranger seemed to flicker momentarily out of existence, just as he had done the last time, except now, he did not reappear a moment later, he simply vanished. Nagato changed mental gears at the last second, and pulled back from releasing the blast he had intended. "If this is an invisibility thing," he murmured, glancing around himself in all directions as he turned slowly on the spot. "Then it's a really bad choice. My eyes tend to break through illusion Jutsu." No response. He sighed. Worth a shot.

Had anyone been to ask Nagato exactly how he had felt the attack coming, he would not have been able to tell them. It was as if a pressure was building up in the air to his left, and with it, a looming sense of threat. He ducked, and in that same moment, an arm materialized where his face had been a moment before, jabbing a wickedly sharp blade into the empty space. Without time for thought, Nagato reacted, thrusting his palm upwards toward the exposed arm and letting out his power in a violent blast of kinetic force. There was a sickening crunch as the limb contorted, the forearm snapping backwards in a place where it really wasn't supposed to bend. The fabric of man's sleeve ripped itself away, exposing pale, albino white skin beneath. As if from very far away, Nagato heard an agonized yelp of pain. He grinned.

"That's for attacking my home."

The arm vanished, and Nagato began to replenish himself for another burst, the Rinnegan's seemingly limitless supply of energy slowly pooling in to replace the expended power. A distance away, the figure reappeared, already recovered from the pain, it seemed, despite the shattered limb still hanging from his shoulder.

"That was a great trick," he admitted, a note of anger to his voice. "Wanna see one of mine?" Without any further warning, the broken arm melted, the white flesh losing consistency and flowing into a vague, putty like mass for a few moments, before resolving itself once more, fully healed. Nagato stayed quiet, not willing to let this stranger get to him. Without another word, the stranger charged.

* * *

 **Naruto:**

Naruto had never had occasion before to realize just how truly majestic toads could be, but the idea was rapidly instilled in him when the mighty form of Gamaken brought the two pronged head of his quarterstaff down against the gigantic creature's head. Unfortunately, it would seem that despite its magnificence, the attack itself was of no greater effect to the monster than anything they had tried before. The beast yowled in pain, but surged forwards, undeterred, ramming its head firmly into the toad's unprotected stomach. The great warrior let out a bellow of pain as the skin of his chest began to sizzle and pop, filling the air with the disturbingly pleasant smell of fried festival meats.

Within a moment, Naruto and the others surged forwards, everyone gathered around him in a makeshift spearhead as they moved to draw the monster away from their protector. Gamaken saw their approach, and extended a hand as if to ward them off.

 **"Children! No! You are safest when you're behind me!"**

They paid him no heed.

The creature opened its mouth, another sphere of glowing energy pooling in its jaws, collecting against the great toad's flesh and seeming to sink into it with a sound like fat popping, escalated to the volume of a cannon shot.

Sasuke brought forth the spectral arm once more, wreathed now in what appeared to be a glowing purple mist, and used it to cup the great cat around the ear, not hurting to any noticeable degree, but pushing it away from Gamaken's scorched chest for a moment. The sphere of energy raked across the warrior toad's chest as it dissipated, leaving behind not a ragged burn, but a scorched crater where before had been skin, a long line carved out of him a solid foot deep. Gamaken made a noise in the back of his massive throat that was surprisingly quiet, like steam escaping a pipe, his eyes going wide and glassy with the pain. To his great credit, he did not hesitate to pick up his weapon, swiping it into the feline's jaw in a thunderous uppercut. A single tooth fell from the colossal creature's maw.

Haku followed up with another blast of ice. Smaller, this time, barely a fraction of what she'd managed before. Naruto suspected his girlfriend's reserves were already running close to empty, judging by the pallor that sapped her already pale skin of what little color remained. The sheet of frost built up from the ground this time, encasing the creature's ankles and sealing them momentarily to the floor.

Naruto took the chance while the creature was immobile, bringing his arm back and flinging it towards the creature like a baseballers pitch, and sent a length of glowing chain streaming towards its midsection. His first instinct had been to go for the face, seal up the mouth before it had a chance to fire another laser blast, or melt any more of Gamaken, but he didn't want to waste the shot, and if he missed... he didn't want to miss.

The chain struck home just as the massive cat pulled free, the ice giving way around its feet with a squeal like chalkboard nails. It glared at them, opened its mouth, and was immediately rebuked by both the great toad and Sakura. It had been expecting the attack, and brought up a massive paw to counter Gamaken's thrust, striking the weapon so hard that it exploded, shards of metal and wood the size of surfboards flying in every conceivable direction. As for Sakura's attack, the beast chose simply to weather it. She sent another chunk of stone streaking towards it, and it took the blow on the brow with a growl. This time, however, the energy gathering in its maw did not dissipate, and it spewed forth a veritable stream of burning red flame, straight down towards the young sage.

No one was close enough to intercept. Sakura stood there, transfixed, as the flames spewed forth to engulf her. Naruto extended a hand in desperation, seizing the girl with his power and pulling her towards him with all his might. She barely made it clear in time, slamming into Naruto in an uncontrolled dive and sending them both sprawling to the floor.

Sasuke, it seemed, did not see what had saved his girlfriend, and turned his eyes towards the creature with a scream that was stuck halfway between rage and deep, utter anguish. In the back of his mind, Naruto took note to tease his brother about that if they actually made it out of this.

Sasuke's rage, it seemed, was not entirely useless, however. Yelling as if the very world around him was aflame, Sasuke pulled a second gargantuan susanoo arm from the air around him, wreathed the two ghostly fists in the same pitch black flames that Naruto had once achieved in his experiments with the sharingan, and began to pummel the colossal cat with them again and again. Where the fists struck, the flames stuck and stayed, like tar clinging to fur. The creature roared, a more genuine expression of pain than any they had yet managed to draw from it, and began almost instinctively to cringe away from the barrage, bringing its broad tails up in some attempt to hide from the blows. One tail caught in Naruto's chain, and the creature was ensnared; not immobile yet, but there was a chance. Naruto pulled himself upright.

The monstrous cat reared back, gathering more flames between its jaws, and surged forth to spew its fury down on Sasuke, who, in his state, did not even think to dodge. He was saved only by Gamaken, the tremendous fighter unclipping a shield from his back and stepping forth from behind the cat, placing the barrier directly between the stream of flames, and his miniature ally. Gamaken let out a deep rumble of agony as the flames seared his hand, the bare skin exposed directly to the flame.

"Hydro pump!"

The flame was doused, albeit momentarily, by a rushing stream of water, fountaining out from the distant form of Shachi. The cooling water drenched the great toads hand and he let out an audible moan of relief.

Naruto refused to be taken in by the spectacle. He glanced behind himself to where Sakura knelt against the ground, apparently charging for another burst of whatever superpower she worked by now.

"Sakura," he murmured quietly. "I need you to get me airborne so I can start wrapping my chains around that thing. Can you do it for me?"

"Can't you fly?" She asked, one eye peeking open to gaze at him while she focused on her jutsu.

"I kinda blew that option pulling you out of the fire," he grunted. "It takes a couple seconds to recharge. We don't have that long."

"... How much do you need?" She asked, the orange rims once more beginning to emerge around her eyes.

"Just get me airborne and circling the thing." He replied. "I'll have my flight back soon enough, and I can do the landing myself, but we need this thing tied up now!"

He cast a glance towards the fight. It was not going well. Sasuke continued to pummel the creature, his face set in a cold, angry glare, one of the ghostly arms laying splintered and broken on the floor beside him as he struck at it again and again with the remaining one. The cat was ignoring him, the flames about his fists having extinguished themselves once more, leaving only the ones burning on the creature's flank. It was bearing down on Haku, its jaws snapping as the small ninja pulled hand sign after hand sign, desperately calling forth nothing but tiny shards of ice. She was depleted. Shachi tended to Gamaken, who lay prone some way away.

"I can do that," Sakura murmured. "Tell me when you're re-"

"Now!" He cut her off, and she nodded.

"Sage art: Great barricade."

She made a complicated seal with her hands, and pressed it to the ground. Immediately, Naruto felt the ground beneath his feet begin to shift, before a prong of stone simply erupted from the tiles beneath him, launching him high into the air with an uncontrolled surge of inertia. He soared upwards above the beast, and took his chance to send another length of chain streaming forth like a whip.

This time, he had no option for caution. The monster was bare feet from Haku, its jaws open wide. This time, he aimed for the face.

The move struck home, and the chain met against the side of the monster's face, where it stuck. He stopped extending it, and seized his end of the cord with both hands, feeling the muscles in his arms quiver and pop against the strain as he tried desperately to pull the monster away from his partner, fighting against the force of his own momentum and fighting to not be simply torn apart. The chain began to slide free under his grip, his hand giving out in some instinct to save his arms, leaving the creature undiverted. There was a single moment of desperate terror as the monster pushed forth to snap at Haku with teeth like foot long spikes, before Sasuke's remaining susanoo arm grasped the chain in its fist and, with a tortured yell, yanked the monster backwards. Naruto sent his brother a silent, thankful prayer, and set his sights once more on binding the beast. He threw chain after chain as he began to fall, binding flanks and tail and spine, when the monster turned its attention to him, another gush of flame ready in its jaws. Sasuke gave another yank with his skeletal arm, only for it to shatter, the spectral arm falling to the ground in glowing, half translucent chunks. The flame massed between the creature's teeth, and Naruto closed his eyes, hoping against hope for a miracle.

"Fire volley!"

There was a sound like the hiss of steam, and a yowl of annoyance, and Naruto opened his eyes.

Water. A lot of water, from over a hundred sources. He saw them now, from his new aerial vantage point, dozens upon dozens of ninja, men and women of the hidden rain, not one of them younger than thirty, were spaced out below him, firing jutsu after jutsu at the creature. Each, individually, was tiny, but together, they had served well enough to douse the monster's firebreath. Naruto let out a sigh of relief as he felt the power of his Rinnegan coming back to him.

"Oh, about god damn time!" He yelled, tapping into his flight to turn his fall into a dive, the multitude of chains trailing wildly behind him as he prepared his final push. He would not go for disabling the creature, there was no way they had the time for that anymore. There was only one, insanely stupid option left.

The monster swiped at the reinforcements below, scattering men and women across the shattered floor in a cacophony of noise and pain. The line held firm, the rain was strong.

Naruto adjusted his course, aiming for the monster's head at full speed. When he drew close enough, he gathered his chains, and cast them forwards like a net. They struck and bound to the demon's skull, looping down to the floor and binding, across vast swathes of it, anchoring the monster's face a bare five or six meters from the ground. It pulled and strained, but the chains held firm. Naruto continued to dive, passing within inches of its flaming form as he streaked towards the ground like a rocket. As he passed, he felt the heat of it burn his skin, leaving it stinging raw and red. He hit the ground hard, and made no effort to catch himself, falling on his back to the floor beneath the monster's head. The demon noticed, and turned its gaze down at him, eyes of pure fire and rage bearing down towards him. It opened its jaws. He raised his hand.

"Almighty push," he muttered tiredly, his palm directed towards the space just behind the creature's jaw. Then, he let out a blast, all the energy he could conceive of, dwarfing even the push he had used to roll the massive form of Gamabunta a few days before. He pushed hard enough that he felt the darkness creeping at the edges of his mind, ready to pull him into oblivion.

The monster reared, its back and hind legs twisting and pulling as it tried to compensate for the unbroken force that pushed at its forward shoulders. It continued upwards, further and further, straining all the way, until the chains binding its head to the ground went taught. Then, for the first time, it let out a genuine scream, a human scream, filled with pain and horror and fear, as it found its neck caught as the rope in a tug of war between an unstoppable force and an immovable object. The scream went on for less than a second, before something within the creature's body gave out with a snap like a falling oak tree. Then, quite suddenly, it went limp, its flaming form unresistant and still. It hung, suspended in the air for a moment, as the remainder of Naruto's push filtered its energy out into the surroundings, then fell to the ground with a loud thud. Not long after that, the flames began to fade.

"Yay team," Naruto murmured unenthusiastically, before finally allowing unconsciousness to take him.

* * *

 **AN: You know, I'm not gonna lie. That all felt very good to write. It's been a while since I worked on a Naruto story, and I forgot how freeing the fight scenes feel. Hope you all enjoyed it, please feel free to comment or review. Now, onto that thing I said I wanted your help with.**

 **Some of you will be aware that my original web-series, 'Touch', has been slowly but surely growing in popularity over the five or so months since I began publishing it. Most of the feedback I have recieved on it has been positive, and I am glad about that, but the truth is that my progress with it is about to hit a wall, a wall that I need your help to get past.**

 **There is a website called TopWebFiction, which hosts a popularity vote for notable web-serials, and which also serves as a prime source of advertising to a number of online authors, myself included. Functionally, it works like this: the more votes you get, the more new readers you are likely to attract.** **Now, the wall that I am about to hit is that I have pretty much reached the limit of how highly my story can be ranked, because everyone who remains above me has had years to establish their voting fanbase, where I have had about five months. In the hopes of redressing that balance, I came to you guys.**

 **If enough of you vote for my story on that site, which is free to do, and takes less than two minutes, then I can break through that wall, and really begin to establish myself as an online author. So here I speak to each and every one of you, as an individual. Please, go there, and vote for my story. If you think my writing is good, that I possess an entertaining or thought provoking quality as an author, please go on there and vote for Touch, because you have no idea how much it would help me. Thank you.**

 **Now, I am not going to hold any threat over your heads if you do not help me with this. I will continue to update this story a minimum of once every couple of weeks until it is finished, regardless of whether you choose to help me. That being said, if enough of you guys DO help me, then I'll probably be REALLY grateful to you, and will be likely to update this story WAY faster because of it, so if you want incentive, beyond helping an author to make it out into the world, then there's that, I guess. Thank you all and I really hope you want to help me on this one.**


	66. Chapter 66: Tobi

**AN: Format!**

* * *

 **Nagato:**

The stranger was fast, jabbing out with the blades in each hand like a scorpion's stings. Each time, Nagato dodged and each time, it was by a smaller margin. In honesty, taijutsu had never been his forte, his focus being better directed to mastering the exotic array of jutsu his Rinnegan allowed him. Even so, he was no slouch in a knife fight, and it was a little galling that this man was so readily gaining the advantage. He dodged backwards, using a burst of his flight to make some distance as his hands began working through hand signs behind his back. The masked man pressed forwards, closing the distance in a matter of moments. The stranger brought his blades to the fore once more, only for Nagato to release the first of his jutsu, a lesser earth style technique he had learned as a boy.

"Earth style: Stone lance."

The earth beneath the man's feet shifted and warped, a ragged shaft of rock erupting forth from it, up into his foe's knee. The man didn't even pause in his attack, simply walking through it. Nagato raised his other hand, resorting to the wind style now to keep his opponent at bay. He called forth a thin wall of slashing winds, a barrier designed to cut anything that passed through it to ribbons. Again, the stranger simply stepped through it. Nagato growled. Why was it that his every attack on the man seemed to be even less effective than the last? Was he fighting a ghost or something?

The masked man jabbed again with a blade, a wickedly curved knife seemingly designed to part flesh from bone. Nagato sidestepped, only to find resistance, the man's foot waiting outstretched, ready to trip him. He stumbled, caught himself with his flight and shoved himself back once more as the second blade shot like lightning towards his face. He barely made it away in time, the blade piercing the skin below his left eye and carving a shallow trench into the flesh. He swore, feeling the blood begin to flow down his cheek... Then he stopped feeling it. The wound was numb. He swore again, louder.

"Poisoned weapons?" He asked, furious.

"Of course they're poisoned," The stranger replied, sounding almost irritated. "It's the sensible thing to do."

Nagato felt the numbness spreading, the flow of his own blood carrying it through his body at an unsettling rate. He raised a hand to the wound and grit his teeth, before muttering:

"Almighty pull."

A part of him was glad of the numbness that prevented him feeling the pain as his jutsu tore away a chunk of his face big enough to fill a teaspoon. There was no way to remove the poison already coursing through him, but the lions share of it would have still been in the wound. He hoped this would be enough to save him.

Without giving him a chance to recover, his foe advanced once more, dropping the blades now in favor of his fists. Nagato moved to defend himself, but he was sluggish, his body refusing to operate fast enough to be effective. He barely managed to deflect the first two blows before the third caught him in the midsection. It didn't hurt as badly as his brain told him it should have. He wasn't one hundred percent sure whether that was because his body was slowly shutting down or because his foe was holding back. Neither option was pleasant, really.

He landed hard on his back, his head striking the pavement and sending his thoughts into a momentary jumble. Lacking much else in the way of options, he raised a hand towards his foe, readying a push with his Rinnegan. Again, the man flickered and vanished, the push dissipating harmlessly into the empty air behind him. Once more, Nagato wasn't quite sure exactly how he knew the strike was coming, only that it was. Again, he tried to dodge it, bringing his arms up weakly to defend himself, but when the man re-emerged atop him, he simply batted them aside, more a hindrance than anything else at this point. He reached down towards Nagato's face with a hand, his fingers finding his blood smeared left eye socket.

Even without being able to feel the pain, Nagato would still have called it the most unpleasant experience of his life as his eye was plucked from its socket. It was hard to describe, like a tugging in his mind, something exerting a physical force where only the mental normally held sway. Then, half of the world went dark. His remaining eye watched with horror as the stranger lifted his left eyeball from his face, a small voice in the back of his mind noting with slight surprise that the Rinnegan pattern actually continued around the entirety of the sphere, not just the front.

Somewhere to his left, a voice shouted his name and the stranger flickered out of existence once more as a veritable storm of paper sheets swept through the air above him.

"Konan," he mumbled, barely able to speak. "Get away. He's too strong for us."

His partner did not respond, simply taking a defensive stance as she waited for her foe to reappear. Yahiko was not far behind her. Nagato took some comfort in at least knowing that their foes were likely dispatched. The two remaining heads of the hidden rain stood back to back, eyes scanning the field in every direction. They were waiting a long time.

Again, Nagato felt the presence before he saw it, and raised a numb finger to point his partners in the direction of their foe.

"There." He whispered, his voice faint.

Husband and wife turned as one in the direction specified, Konan releasing a torrent of her paper shuriken, Yahiko readying a barrier to cover them.

The masked man reappeared, except now, he was no longer masked. His face was broken, one side of it crushed and warped almost beyond recognition, the other surprisingly handsome, his skin a deeper, more human hue than the pale, sickly shade of his regenerating arm. What truly stuck out, however, were his eyes. The unbroken half bore a shining red iris, the pupil shaped into an odd, angular design that Nagato could have sworn he had seen somewhere before. The broken half, much to his displeasure, now bore the Rinnegan.

If the stranger was surprised that they had a counter waiting for him, he did not show it. He raised a hand and the swarm of blades stopped well short of him, some unseen force tearing them to pieces in mid-air.

"Sorry I took so long," The man murmured. "It took me a while to figure out how to work this thing." He gestured to his stolen eye with a grin.

"You mother fucker!" Yahiko shouted, weaving hand sign after hand sign before placing his hands to the ground. High above them, the great glass ceiling of the hidden rain began to crack and split, the snow piled lightly atop it rapidly converting back to water as it began to shoot towards the stranger in pellets the size of a thumb nail.

The man raised a hand towards the oncoming strike with a smile, then let out a cry of pain as the first pellet struck his shoulder with a crack. Nagato managed a smile. Apparently the thief had yet to realize that the almighty push needed time to recharge. How unfortunate for him, to have the same arm broken twice in a single fight. Their good luck ended there, however, as the remainder of the onrushing volley seemed to pass through the man as easily as every other attack had seemed to.

Once more, the stranger vanished. Konan raised a hand to her husband's shoulder, silently advising him to cease the attack before it could drain him further.

"Have to... take him by surprise." Nagato realized aloud. "Get him while his guard is down. When he's attacking, when he thinks he's defended."

Wordlessly, his two friends nodded. Unfortunately, as they all knew, that was easier said than done.

Again, Nagato felt the pressure building in the air behind his companions and opened his mouth to warn them, a hand raising to point, too slow.

The man emerged, a knife clutched in his remaining good hand, which he swept sideways, aiming to carve a narrow trench into his foes' backs. Nagato acted on a half formed thought, almost an instinct. He directed his pointing hand towards the man, aiming his power not at the foe himself, but at the knife.

"Pull." He whispered. The blade jerked in the man's hand, the pull less than half as strong as Nagato had intended, but still strong enough. It pulled with enough force that the handle yanked backwards in his grip, pulling his strike off course. More importantly, though, it seemed as if Nagato's suspicion had held true. As the blade slid from his grasp, the stranger grabbed for it by instinct, forcing him to remain solid for a few vital moments. The base of the guard-less blade rammed into the side of the man's palm as he reflexively tightened his grip, slicing a shallow cut into the skin of his palm.

The stranger let out a wince as Yahiko and Konan turned towards him, ready to strike. Yahiko plunged a blade into the man's face, Konan sending a swarm of paper darts through his midsection. It was too slow. The strikes slid through him, but it didn't matter. Nagato had done what he needed.

"That's why you don't use poisoned weapons, you idiot," Nagato said tiredly, a wry grin crossing his lips. "If you cut yourself, it's game over."

The man didn't respond at once, gazing for a moment at the slight wound on his right hand, then, his broken arm dissolved once more, just as it had when Nagato had broken it, only this time, it did not re form itself back into an arm. Instead, it became something strange, a long, thin limb caught somewhere between a human arm and a praying mantis claw. Without hesitation, he lashed out with this new appendage and severed the poisoned arm at the shoulder.

"Good lesson," he said through clenched teeth, glaring down at Nagato. "I'll try to remember it for next time."

The two gazed at one another for a moment, before the stranger let out a sigh.

"Well, I can't win now," He muttered, more to himself than anyone else, it seemed. "I can't do hand signs like this and that push jutsu only worked with my human arm... Screw it. I got what I needed. I'm out of here." With that, he stooped, the pale, blade like appendage re-forming itself back into a human arm to pick up his severed limb. Nagato noted with some surprise that the skin of the severed limb was a sight darker than the pale one, closer in complexion to his face.

"You think we'll just let you leave?" Konan asked, her voice calm, despite the clear rage in her eyes. "After everything you just did?"

"I can't really see how anything you do would be able to stop me," The stranger replied coolly. "Feel free to try, but I'm fairly sure you'll just wear yourself out on attacks that just don't seem to hit me."

He turned to leave, striding easily through the ruined village, towards the hole in the wall his enslaved beast had created.

"Hey," Nagato called after him. "You said you needed your human arm to use my jutsu, right?"

The stranger turned, scowling.

"Yeah, what of i-"

"Almighty push."

He aimed the shot for the severed limb, intending to tear the thing from the stranger's grasp and smash it to pulp against the far wall, but it flickered, both the arm and the pale appendage holding it disappearing up to the man's shoulder.

"Nice try," the stranger allowed. "But I'm not that easy." Then, with another flicker, the rest of him vanished as well, leaving the three leaders of the hidden rain to tend to their broken village.

Without a word, Yahiko turned towards the distant, fallen form of Matatabi and set off to find their son at a run. Konan remained behind, standing watch over her fallen companion.

"Are you going to be alright?" She asked, her voice touched by a deep concern.

"I'm fine," he murmured with some difficulty. "It's just an eye, Konan. We could have lost a lot more here."

Konan considered this in silence for some time, then nodded, her eyes returning to the gaping hole in the village wall.

"We need to find out who those people are," she said quietly. "We need to make them pay."

"Yeah," Nagato nodded, closing his remaining eye wearily. "I know."

* * *

 **AN: This chapter feels weird to me. I'm not one hundred percent sure why.**


	67. Chapter 67: Death

**Akatsuki:**

The young woman stood alone on a rocky outcropping, peering through the perpetual rainfall towards the broken shell of the distant village. The lights had stopped flashing from within the place some time ago, and she could only assume that meant the inhabitants had somehow found a way to subdue their captive jinchuriki, and their distraction had therefore reached its end. That hadn't been supposed to happen so early. It wasn't been part of the plan. Soon, the survivors would deploy to scout the area for remaining hostiles. She had to leave before they found her.

Five more minutes. She would wait just five more minutes on the offchance that one of her teammates had survived. Surely they were worth risking that much.

She stood still and quiet in the rain for a long while, her whole body growing tenser and tenser as the moments crawled by, not really counting the seconds as they elapsed. She waited as long as she could; longer than she should have; only admitting defeat when she began spotting far distant forms of search parties fanning out from the husk of the hidden rain. She turned, trying to force herself not to cry, and heard a quiet voice from below, snapping her head towards it immediately.

"Shera... here please. Need help."

As the voice spoke, Shera glimpsed something; a slight ripple in the air; a distortion that, as she watched, began to resolve itself into the hunched form of a man, clutching a severed arm in his one remaining hand.

"Shera," Master Tobi murmured again. "Help... Can barely move."

Within a second, she was by his side, ducking under his intact shoulder and wrapping an arm around his waist to support him, before setting off at a sprint.

"What happened?" She asked, her voice low. "Did they beat us?"

"... No," Her master managed after a time, his voice growing more and more quiet by the moment. "We won... got what we came for... They're strong, though... Poisoned my arm... Didn't remove it fast enough... Need to rest."

Shera nodded at that, the chattering of nerves in her mind calming a fraction. She focused on her running.

Carrying her half-paralyzed master on her back slowed her a great deal, perhaps even too much. At her present speed, their safe house was a solid twenty minutes away. She doubted she could keep ahead of the search parties for that long. She pushed the thought from her mind. If it came down to a fight, she would do what she could. Nothing would hurt Master Tobi while she still lived. He was worth that much, at the very least. Her protector. Her savior.

"... Master," she asked into the silence. "... What happened to the others? Are they-"

"Dead," her master managed. "... It's a shame... but they did what they had to... It's for the greater good, Shera, I promise you."

Shera nodded quietly. A part of her wanted to grieve for her fallen friends; she crushed it. If Master Tobi said it must be done, then it must be done. For the sake of a better world.

She kept running.

 **Naruto:**

Everything was aching.

That was the first coherent idea that presented itself to Naruto's mind as he slowly awakened. Everything, from the tips of his fingers, to the soles of his feet, was aching. It was enough to ruin what little comfort his mind drew from the softness of the pillow beneath his head, or the warmth of the small figure huddled next to him atop the sheets. For a moment, he wondered if he'd died; then he realized that if this was the afterlife, then his body wouldn't be in such a sorry state as he currently found it in.

After a long few minutes spent trying to force himself to fall asleep again, he gave up, and grudgingly opened his eyes.

The room was pitch dark, but that didn't really bother him. One of the first things he'd ever discovered about the Rinnegan had been how they rendered light optional. He recognized it. Haku's bedroom. His eyes shifted down to the figure curled up against him, and he let out a sigh. Haku. She'd really survived, then. Good. The girl was laying atop the bedsheets, her eyes closed and her head resting gently against Naruto's ribs. He tried to smile, and managed a grimace as the movement redoubled the aches in his face. Seriously? Why were his lips tired?

The girl looked to be asleep, but one never could tell. She was a ninja, after all.

"Haku?" He asked. "You awake?"

"Yeah," she replied quietly. "Yeah, I'm awake. You doing okay?"

"Feel like I got hit by a paper bomb," he admitted. "Otherwise, can't complain. Are the others okay?"

"Yeah," Haku shifted herself slightly on the sheets, pressing a little closer to her boyfriend's side. "They're okay, mostly. Nagato lost an eye, Sakura's pulling her hair out over that toad she summoned, and Sasuke's probably still hugging her; he kinda thought she died for a while there. We won, though. That's the big thing."

Naruto took a deep breath, forcing himself to hold it in his lungs for a moment before slowly breathing out as he thought back over the three or four frenzied minutes of the fight, the details of it draining sluggishly back into his brain. Then a thought occurred, and he felt himself grow cold.

"H-Haku," he mumbled, his voice quavering slightly. "I... I killed them, didn't I? The jinchuuriki."

Haku didn't respond to that at first, tilting her head slightly to look her boyfriend in the eyes.

"First time?" She asked with a note of sympathy.

"... Yeah."

For the longest time, neither of them spoke. Naruto felt Haku's arm drape itself over his chest in a half-hug.

"... It doesn't go away," The pale girl murmured. "The guilt, I mean. It stays. You just have to remind yourself of why you did it and the people you were trying to protect. If you do that, I promise, it'll stop hurting so much after a while. If it helps... the second time is easier."

Naruto didn't know what to say to that, staring down at his girlfriend for a moment, before he sighed.

"Sorry. I'd almost forgotten. You're so gentle... It's hard to believe you used to kill."

Haku let out a tiny laugh at that; a bitter one.

"Ninety eight," she said, no longer looking at Naruto. "Thirty four targets, twelve ninjas, fifty one guards, and-" Her voice caught for a moment. "-And one little boy. Master Zabuza said that if I could do it without crying, then I wouldn't have to kill the sister, too."

Naruto stared at Haku for a moment, then opened his mouth... before closing it again. He had nothing. He raised a hand to the smaller teen's shoulder, and gave it a little squeeze.

"... You know that's not you anymore, right?" He asked. "I don't think you've ever been a killer."

He felt Haku shudder slightly at the words, before she spoke, her voice barely audible.

"It's what Zabuza said I was. What does my new master think I am?"

Naruto bit back the objection that rose in his throat at being called her master, and considered his answer. This felt big. He wasn't entirely sure why, but he knew this conversation _mattered._ He thought of the few months he'd spent with Haku in the year since they'd met, and tried to remember the girl at her happiest. Then it hit him. He chuckled; it hadn't been as hard a question as he'd thought.

"I think you're a gardener, Haku," he murmured. "Built to help things grow."

Haku didn't respond to that. He just felt her breathing grow a little sharper against his chest and felt the tiny pool of moisture collecting on his shirt, trailing down from Haku's eyes.

 **Aftermath:**

The sun rose largely unnoticed above the village of rain. Most of its occupants hadn't slept, working in shifts to pull survivors from the wreckage of the blasted wall, ignoring the rainwater pooling slowly around their ankles and the shards of glass that slashed at their feet. They worked in silence. Most had done this before. As for the young and those who had lost friends. Well, as they now knew, that was the beauty of life in the land of rain. No one could ever see the tears.

Under the frail light of that unimportant dawn, a flock of waterbirds flew in almost every direction, each bearing a simple message.

'A summit is called by the free nation of the Land of Rain. Prosecution to be heard for crimes of war performed by the village of the hidden cloud. Release of the Matatabi in an unsolicited attack.

Expected remuneration: The head of the current Raikage.'

 **AN: Okay. So, yeah. I fell off the horse a bit there. I was gone way longer than I thought I'd be. Stuff happened. Apologies for the lack of line breaks in this one. The software was being weird. Hope you all enjoyed, and can forgive me my hiatus. I would say I'll be back for real this time, but I don't want to accidentally lie again. I guess we'll see.**

 **If anyone's interested, my WebNovel's still a thing and you can check it out for free over at touchwebserial dot com, and I recommend that you do so. Kay. Thanks, guys. Bye!**


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